


Bed Rest

by Jekkah



Category: In Plain Sight
Genre: F/M, Family, Friendship, Pregnancy, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-23
Updated: 2013-06-23
Packaged: 2017-12-15 22:02:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 53,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/854496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jekkah/pseuds/Jekkah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spoilers for Season 4. After Mary is put on bed rest, Marshall brings his sister-in-law to Albuquerque to help keep an eye on her, bringing changes to Mary and Marshall's relationship. *NOW COMPLETE*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Set-Up

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing but DVDs and iTunes shows.

"Are you out of your ever-loving mind?"

Marshall cringed visually at the harsh tone in his partner's voice. He knew this wasn't going to be an easy conversation, but he was hoping to keep her placid. "Mary, you really need to-"

"I swear to God if you tell me to 'calm down,' I will get out of this bed and beat you," Mary told him, fire in her eyes. She pulled absently at the light blue hospital gown she was currently sporting. "There is no way that I am staying in bed for the next seven weeks."

"You just have to make it four more weeks. You can deliver any time after that."

"I-"

"Mary," Marshall cut her off forcefully. He moved the chair close to the bed, flipping his jacket away from his hips as he sat down. He propped his head on his hands while he studied her. "You suffered a placenta abruptio. Granted, a small one for now, but to keep it that way, you need to stay on bed rest. Otherwise, you risk both the baby and you. Now, you have two options: you can either stay in the hospital until you deliver or you can stay at home in bed."

Mary closed her eyes to will her tears away. She was tired of crying, tired of feeling vulnerable. She felt lost over the last week stuck in the hospital bed. "I cannot have my mother move back in: she's already driving me crazy with her drama. And who knows where Brandi is. So, you're telling me my only option is to stay in the hospital for the next month or so?"

"I have another idea, but I don't know how open you'll be to it."

Mary opened her eyes to peer at him. He had a smile on his face, but his eyes were tense. Her anger over her situation and her curiosity over what idea could cause that look in Marshall's eyes were now battling for dominance. Curiosity won and her voice softened slightly. "Well, what's your idea?"

"My sister-in-law has offered to come and stay with you until you give birth."

Mary hesitated, waiting for an ulterior motive to appear. "Why would she do that?"

Marshall took a deep breath. "Honestly, her and my brother are going through a bit of a rough patch and my mother is kind of suffocating her. Amelia could really use the break."

Mary rubbed her forehead with her finger, weighing the pros and cons.

"She's the wife of my younger brother, Sam." Marshall added, "For what it's worth, I really think you'll like her ."

"And if I don't... like her?" A list of the pros and cons ran through her head.

"Then, either she'll come stay with Abigail and me or she'll go back home to Texas." He didn't miss the way she froze at Abigail's name, but let it slide as he always did. Marshall refused to let himself believe that her reaction was anything more than fear that he would no longer be at her beck and call.

"So, basically, my options are to stay in the hospital, let my mother come stay with me, or let a complete stranger into my home." Mary sighed. "Stranger, it is."

"Really?"

"Yeah! It was your suggestion." His surprised reaction was causing her pause.

"I know. I just didn't expect you to actually take me up on it without a lot of prodding and maybe some bribery."

Mary shrugged, but didn't reply. All the fight that she had at the beginning of the conversation seemed to drain from her. That worried Marshall more than anything she had been through over the last week.

"Okay, I'll go call Amelia and let her know you agreed. She and Caelan can be here in two days."

"Caelan?"

Marshall cleared his throat. "My nephew. He's two and a half."

"You didn't say anything about a kid!" Mary nearly shouted with thinly-veiled panic. "This isn't an attempt to talk me into keeping this kid by showing me how wonderful kids are, is it? Because let me tell you-"

"Mary!" Marshall cut her off forcefully for the second time. "You need to stay calm. I told you that I would be there for you no matter what your decision ends up being. When I told her about the abruption, she figured you'd be put on bed rest and offered to come stay with you if you needed help. Amme's having a rough time in her marriage and needs a break. She has a two year old son, Caelan. Caelan is a good kid, quiet. If you want them to come stay to help you out, I'll let her know. If not, we'll figure something else out."

Mary looked properly abashed, ashamed that she doubted Marshall's motives. She hung her head down so she didn't have to see the pain hidden in his eyes, wondering not for the first time why it was so easy for her to hurt him of all people. "They can come. I'm sorry I doubted your motives."

Marshall left the room to call his sister-in-law leaving Mary to her thoughts as she had often been left the last week. It was hard to believe that it was just a week ago that Brandi was suppose to get married. Everything seemed so different now then it had that morning. Brandi had run off to who knows where. Mark had returned to Jersey with a half-muttered apology that things had gotten to intense for him. Jinx spent her energy lamenting over Brandi's plight with breaks to fussy over Mary and her "unborn grandchild." And Marshall had spent almost all of his free time with her during the last week, despite having pulled away from her over the past few months.

Marshall. Oh, Marshall. She didn't know what she'd do without him. He was the only one she focused on when she collapsed under the chuppah, the only one she could stand to be near her. She latched onto his hand as if her life depended it on as soon as they got her onto the stretcher and didn't let go until they forced her in the emergency room. Marshall anchored her. He was the only person she looked for when she opened her eyes in her hospital room. Mary knew that meant something, but she was afraid to dig any deeper than he was her best friend for fear of what she'd find there.

"Everything's all set," Marshall announced, coming back into the room. "Amme and Caelan will be here in two days. I talked to your doctor and they're going to release you tomorrow. I'm going to stay with you until Amme gets here."

"You don't have to do that," Mary protested. Her gaze was fixed firmly on his unbuttoned top button.

Marshall tilted his head, confused. "I thought you'd be happy to get out of here."

"I am. I just... What's Abigail going to say about all this? You guys just moved in together and you're spending all your time with me."

"She knows you're partner, my best friend. She understands."

Mary looked unconvinced, but said nothing further about Abigail. "Since I'm getting out of here tomorrow, what do you say to sneaking me in some real food?"

Marshall grinned widely. "Sure. What would you like?"


	2. Introducing Amelia

Marshall walked directly into Mary's bedroom, finding her laying in her bed staring at the ceiling, her hand absently scratching her belly. He had given up knocking the day before after the second time she berated him for waking her up. He knew she had been wide awake each time he knocked just as he knew her ire was her way of telling him he didn't need to knock.

"I have to go pick Amme and Caelan up from the airport now. Do not leave this bed," he added as if an afterthought.

"Okay, okay," she sighed with an exaggerated eye-roll.

Marshall wagged a finger at her. "I will know if you've gotten up."

"Marshall, I've got books, magazines, and the television all right here. I promise in the hour that you're gone, I won't get up."

"All right." He impulsively kissed her forehead. "I'll be back soon."

Mary sat there stunned at his action. She was trying to think of another time that he had done something like that. For all her aversion to non-sexual intimacy, it was nearly always Mary that initiated any physical contact between the two of them: a brush on the shoulder, a rub on the back, a tussle of hair. She wondered at that, knowing Marshall wasn't averse to contact, wondered at his reluctance to touch her, wondered if it was his issue or hers. Her mind circled around it as she drifted off to sleep.

Marshall was late to the airport. He had run into an accident that tied up the highway for hours and had to flash his badge to muscle his way through the airport. He was nearly breathless by the time he reached their predetermined destination.

"Amme!" Marshall shouted seeing his sister-in-law standing off to the side of baggage claim trying to adjust her toddler, his car seat, and a carry-on bag that she carried in her arms.

Amme looked up and smiled, widely. She dropped the bag and car seat to the floor and hugged him, tightly. "Marsh! It's so good to see you! How are you?"

"Good. You?" Marshall ran a critical eye over her. She had the same deep chestnut hair with spiral curls and the same dark blue eyes, but she seemed tired, circles under eyes and her skin pale, making the freckles dancing across her nose even more prominent.

"I'll be okay." She shifted the dark-haired toddler in her arms closer to Marshall. "Caelan, can you say 'hi' to Uncle Marshall?"

Caelan buried his head into his mother's shoulder, whispering. "Hi."

"Hi, Caelan." Marshall kissed the top of his head. "He looks more like Sam every time I see him. Those eyes, though, are all you."

Amme gave him a small, tense smile that made a small black hole form in Marshall's stomach. It seemed things were even worse than he thought. Marshall picked up the car seat.

"Come on. Let's go grab your bags."

Amelia was quiet as they picked up the bags and made their way to the car. Marshall smiled when she kissed Caelan repeatedly as she buckled him in. Amme stared out the window, pointing out things to Caelan she thought would interest him, even as he was nodding off. Based on the subjects, it appeared that Caelan was into big rig trucks right now. He thought about when Sam had gone through the same phase. Six years older than Sam, he had taken it upon himself to learn all the different types of trucks that ran through their small town so he could tell Sam all about them.

"Marshall, pull over," Amme ordered, suddenly. She hit his shoulder several times. "Pull over!"

Amme stumbled out of the car as soon as it stopped with Marshall right behind her holding a bottle of water. She dropped to her knees and began to throw up. Marshall gently rubbed her back, his face turned away from the mess. He concentrated on Caelan, who had fallen asleep in the car.

"Sorry about that," Amme apologized when she was finished. She took the water from Marshall with a thanks.

"How far along are you?"

Amme bit her bottom lip. "Just over twelve weeks."

"Does Sam know?"

She nodded. "Nobody else. Do not tell your mother."

"How excited was Sam when you told him the news?" he asked, helping her to her feet. He was thinking of the near spastic phone call he had gotten from his younger brother when they found Amelia was pregnant with Caelan. The last time his brother had sounded so excited was when he was seven and had gotten a bike for Christmas.

Amme pushed him as she made her way to the car, mumbling, "He wasn't."

Marshall stood there in shock for a few moments, unsure how to respond. Realizing he needed to get back to Mary, he hurried back into the driver's seat. Amme had her head against the window, staring off into the distance.

She spoke as he started the car. "Things are bad, Marsh."

"How bad?"

Amme rolled her head to look at him. "I don't know if I want to go back."

Marshall reached down to squeeze her hand before pulling back onto the road.

"So, how is Mary holding up?"

"Not well. My partner, she's always on the move. This... could break her."

"She has you. She'll be fine. How could anybody be anything else with you on their side?"

Marshall shook his head and rolled his eyes, but inwardly he was pleased. Amelia had always been one of his biggest fans. Truth be told, he wanted her here for himself as much as he wanted her here for Mary. He hadn't felt quite like himself for nearly a year, not since he had given his feelings away about Mary to Mary and she had taken off for Mexico with someone else.

Mary's pregnancy had sent him reeling. He had been seriously contemplating breaking up with Abigail during his and Mary's time in Georgia when he discovered a few weeks in that he didn't miss her at all. He suspected Abigail had reached the same conclusion based upon her attempt to have Mary aid her in picking out a special gift for him. But he had already realized Mary was pregnant by then and that caused him to spiral into a new direction, dragging Abigail along with him. He felt as if he was living a shadow of his life and was hoping Amme could shed some light on it.

"Where'd you go?" Amme asked him, when he had gone quiet for several miles.

Marshall shrugged. "Just thinking about the last few months."

"How are things with the girlfriend?"

"Things seem to be going well with Abigail."

Amelia chuckled. "Your mother is convinced that there is something horribly wrong with her and that's why you haven't brought her around. I'm supposed to provide intel on her for your mother."

"It's just been a crazy few months. That's the only reason I haven't brought her to meet all of you."

"Makes perfect sense."

Marshall glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "You think there's another reason?"

"I do," she said, blatantly, turning her body to face him fully. "The entire time I've known you, we have met every girl you ever dated for longer than a month until you became partners with Mary. Suddenly, you didn't bring any of them around."

Marshall felt his brain narrow. "Being partners with Mary takes a lot of time and energy. You shouldn't read too much into it."

"You've never lied to me, Marshall. Don't start now." Amelia smiled, sincerely. "We'll just drop the subject for now."

"Good. We're here anyway."


	3. Getting To Know You

"It's a beautiful house," Amelia commented as she got out of Marshall's car. Marshall nodded his agreement as he went to grab their bags out of the bag. Amelia carefully woke up Caelan, raising him from his seat.

"Morning, Mama," Caelan whispered, snuggling in her neck. He gave a big sigh, taking in his surroundings, quietly.

Amme shifted him until he rested on her hip before following Marshall into the house. "Are you ready to meet Aunt Mary?"

Marshall raised an eyebrow. "Aunt Mary?"

"Your partner doesn't really strike me as a 'Miss Mary' kind of girl."

"No, I suppose not." Marshall had to stifle a laugh at the thought of Mary being called "Aunt Mary," especially by his nephew.

"Marshall, is that you?" Mary called from her room as Amelia shut the door.

"Yeah, Mare, it's me." Marshall dropped the bags in the living room. He squeezed Amelia's shoulder before leading them to Mary's room.

Mary was sitting against her headboard, several magazines strewn across the bed. She had obviously just brushed her hair in an effort to look more presentable. Mary ran a critical eye over Amelia and Caelan. Amelia stared boldly back, unabashed.

Amme took a step forward and held out her free hand to Mary. "It's nice to finally meet you, Mary. We've been hearing about you for years. Time to see if you match up to the legend."

"Legend?" Mary repeated. Her tone was sarcastic, but pride flashed in her eyes.

"Yep. I'm kind of a legend myself so you have a lot to live up to."

Mary's eyes widened slightly in surprise. Amelia's tone was serious, but her eyes danced mischievously. Mary burst out laughing.

Amelia smirked as Marshall slowly let out the breath he was holding. "This is my son, Caelan. Caelan, this is Aunt Mary."

"Hi-hi," Caelan told her with a tiny wave.

"Can I ask, what the hell kind of name is 'Caelan?'" Mary asked, letting the fact that Amelia called her "Aunt Mary" slide in lieu of seeing how far she could push Amelia.

Amelia put her free hand on her hip. It was a question she had heard before and generally didn't take offense to. Plus, she was pretty sure that Mary was testing her and wanted to test her back. "It's Irish. What the hell kind of name do you have picked out?"

"James. Or Emily." Mary's response startled both Mary and Marshall into complete silence. Mary had spent her entire pregnancy attempting to distance herself away from the baby so the idea that she thought of names was a complete shock to them both. Mary dropped her eyes to the bedspread, avoiding Marshall's curious gaze. "You'll do for now."

"Well," Amelia sighed, "now that I've made everything awkward, what do say you show me where we're staying, Marsh? And then we go see what we have to eat."

"You cook?" Mary asked, fighting her way through the awkwardness.

Amelia laughed. "Not much and not well, but I've kept this little guy alive for the last few years so I'm sure I'll do okay with you."

Marshall led Amelia and Caelan out of Mary's bedroom. He returned a few minutes later and sat gingerly on the edge of the bed. He looked anxiously at her.

"She seems okay," Mary admitted. "This could work."

"Good." Marshall paused. "So, about those nam-"

Mary sighed. "I don't want to talk about it."

Marshall sighed also, giving her a skeptical look. He choose, however, to remain silent. Marshall placed a hand on her knee and opened his mouth.

"You have got to be kidding me with the food in this kitchen!" Amme said, incredulously, returning to Mary's bedroom with a container in her hand. "You have expired ketchup. Who has expired ketchup?"

Mary shrugged, raising her hands in defeat while Marshall chuckled, leaning away from her in expectation of being punched.

"Marsh, you're going to have to take me to the grocery store." She winked at him. "I have to at least get some fresh ketchup for takeout."

Marshall rose, following Amelia out of the room. "You are not feeding Mary takeout all the time!"

Mary laid down in the bed, smiling as she listened to Marshall and Amelia go back and forth on her food intake. She felt a warmth grow in her chest knowing that Marshall cared enough about her to bring his sister-in-law across two states, that she was plenty entertained while in bed, and that she was properly fed. She would give him hell for it; he would be worried if she didn't, but secretly, she was thrilled to be taken care of in a way she rarely was. She drifted off to sleep to the sound of Amelia and Marshall discussing the proper amount of vegetables per day.

Mary woke up from her morning nap the next day slowly. Amelia, Marshall, Caelan, and Mary had spent the evening watching movies in her room, talking little. Marshall claimed it was due to the traveling that Amelia and Caelan had done, but Mary suspected there was more to it. Marshall spent a final night in the house on the couch while Mary got used to Amelia and Caelan. Caelan, she had to admit, was a pretty good kid. He rarely made too much noise and was the politest two-year-old she had ever met.

As Mary sat up against the headboard, she glanced at the clock and saw that it was nearly one o'clock. She had been asleep for over two hours. It was no wonder that she was feeling so hungry. Mary crinkled her nose as she heard the soft tones of music floating through the air. Determined to investigate the sound, she carefully rose out of bed and tiptoed down the hall. She found Amelia and Caelan dancing in the kitchen to a jazzed up nursery song. Mary smiled despite her best effort.

"Hello, there, sleepy-head," Amelia said with a smirk. "It's about time you got up. Lunch is almost ready."

Mary sat down at the counter with a thud. "What's for lunch?"

"Grilled chicken salad and don't give me that look. If you don't like it, I'll make you a sandwich." Amelia put Caelan in the seat next to Mary.

"How's it going, kid?" Mary asked. Caelan flashed her Marshall's silly grin and she felt her own lips turn upward.

"Marshall called earlier." Amelia put plates in front of Mary and Caelan. "He's not going to make it for lunch."

"Oh." Mary shrugged dismissively to cover the disappointment that flowed through her stomach. Marshall had spent every lunch with her since she went into the hospital. She didn't realize just how much she looked forward to those lunches until he had to cancel.

"He's going to bring by pizza for dinner, though," Amelia continued. "He's bringing Abigail with him so we can meet."

Mary groaned and made a face until she noticed Amme studying her with her eyebrows raised. Mary shrugged again, though embarrassment crept into her cheeks.

"So, what's she like anyway?" Amelia asked, sitting down next to Caelan.

"I'm sure Marshall's told you all about Detective Sorority Girl."

Amelia chuckled. "True, but I'd like to hear about her from you. You know, the perspective of someone not banging her."

Mary choked on the sip of water she had been taking much to Caelan's delight. She took a deep breath before replying, "She's okay, I guess. Marshall seems to like her."

"Marshall likes everyone."

Mary frowned, thinking of the men in her life that Marshall had shown disdain towards, even as he remained socially polite. "Anyway, she's incredibly perky, like puts Barbie to shame perky, but I'm sure she'll grow out of that once puberty hits."

Amelia grinned widely. "Caelan, don't eat with your fingers. Use your fork. Thank you."

"Welcome," he replied, automatically.

"You have the most well-mannered toddler I've ever seen," Mary told her.

"Well, thank you. He's not always quite this well behaved. We've been working on manners."

Mary pursed her lips. "He looks a lot like Marshall."

Amelia chewed thoughtfully on a bite of salad. "I suppose. Sam and Marshall do look a lot alike. Caelan is nearly the spitting image of his father."

Both Mary and Amelia fell silent, the noise of their chewing the only sound in the kitchen. Mary spent her time lost in thought with occasionally glances to Amelia. She was staying in Mary's house, but Mary knew next to nothing about her except that she was married to Marshall's younger brother and that they were having issues in their marriage. She would have expected Marshall to side with his brother, knowing how much he protected him while they were growing up; their older brother too busy being the star athlete and favorite son. Yet, from his tone and actions, he was clearly on Amelia's side, even over whatever tension existed between Amelia and Marshall's mother and Marshall was a Momma's Boy.

"Whatever it is that you want to ask me, Mary, just ask me," Amelia said, finally, breaking the quiet.

Mary blew out a long breath, irritated over being called out. "I was wondering just how close you and Marshall are."

Amelia shrugged. "He's more than just my brother-in-law. I consider him a friend, a close friend. Marshall and I have always been able to talk to one another. Sam has always loved his big brother. We even lived with Marshall for awhile after college."

"Really?"

"Until Sam found his own way. Marshall and I talk a couple of times a week." Amelia smirked. "We've only ever been friends. Nothing to get jealous of here."

"Je- Jealous?" Mary stuttered. "Why would I be jealous? I'm not jealous."

"That's a lot of protesting. Come on, Caelan. It's time for your nap." Amelia picked up Caelan up and wander down the hall, leaving a confused and unsettled Mary in the kitchen.


	4. An Awkward Dinner

"Here, Mama," Caelan said to Amelia, handing her one of his Matchbox cars.

"Vroom," Amelia told him, running the car up and down his arms and over his stomach as he giggled. She looked up when she heard Mary shuffling towards the living room. She had changed from her sweats to blank pants and a green maternity shirt. "No need to dress up for us."

"What do you-" Mary started to protest, but quit when she saw the glint of glee in Amelia's eye. "Oh, shut up."

"Would you mind keeping an eye on him while I run to the bathroom?" Amelia asked. She nearly laughed at the look of panic on Mary's face. "You just have to make sure he doesn't touch anything he shouldn't. I'll be back in three minutes."

"I'm timing you!" Mary called after Amelia, sitting on the couch with a thud. She eyed Caelan critically. "Hey, kid."

"Car," Caelan said, toddling over to her with a car in his hand. He held it out for her to see.

Mary leaned forward. "Yep, that's car. Not quite as boring as my car now, but not as cool as the Probe, either. The Probe, that was a great car, both of them. Sure, it looked like crap and it ran like crap, but it was all mine. First thing I ever bought that was just for me. Man, it was hard to let that thing go. You know what I mean?"

Caelan nodded. He had been hanging on her every word despite understanding none of it.

Mary smiled. "I like you, kid. You're quiet and you agree with everything I say. Let me see that car."

Caelan handed her the car, saying, "Vroom, vroom."

"That's right." Mary ran the over his shoulder and up over his hair as he giggled. She smiled even wider. Mary took her fingers to his sides to tickle him. Both Caelan and Mary missed Amelia standing in the doorway watching the scene unfold. All three jumped when the doorbell rang.

"I got it," Amelia said, darting from the living room to the front door. She opened the door to reveal a young woman with long, dark hair and a bright smile standing there, two pizza boxes in her hand. "Can I help you?"

"You most certainly can. I'm Abigail, Marshall's girlfriend," Abigail said, pushing her way inside. "You must be Amme. It's so very nice to meet you. Marshall has just been talking about you non-stop."

Amelia cringed both at Abigail using her nickname so familiarly and at the awkward crush that Abigail was giving her. "Nice to meet you, too."

"Hello, there, Mary!" Abigail called out to Mary, who was watching them from the living room. "How are you feeling? You look much better than the last time I saw you."

"Thanks for the compliment, I think," Mary replied, tensely.

Abigail kept grinning as if immune to the tension. "It is. Marshall should be right behind me. He-"

"Someone mention my name?" Marshall asked, popping into the house.

"Hi, honey," Abigail said, turning to give him a quick kiss. Amelia glanced at Mary and rolled her eyes. "I picked up the pizzas like you asked. I hope everyone likes meat lovers. I took a stab in the dark."

Amelia took one whiff of the meat lovers pizza as Abigail opened the box and sprinted towards the bathroom once again.

"Oh, no." Abigail glanced between Mary and Marshall. "Is everything okay?"

"She's fine," Marshall assured her. He moved to sit on the couch next to Mary as Abigail put the pizza in the kitchen. "How are you feeling?"

"You mean other than like a prisoner in my own home and body?" Mary bit back. She softened when she felt Marshall still. It wasn't his fault she was feeling like this. "I'm tired, but I'm always tired."

Marshall patted Caelan's head. "And how's it working out with you, Amelia, and Caelan?"

"So far, it's not bad. Amelia hasn't made me want to kill her yet and he's a pretty good kid."

"Well, aren't you just the cutest little thing!" Abigail cooed, joining them in the living room. She reached down for Caelan. Caelan saw two hands reaching for him, backed up, and let a bloodcurdling scream. Amelia jumped in between Abigail and Caelan, having just returned from the bathroom, and pulled him to her chest while Abigail looked on horrified.

"It's okay. It's okay. Mama's here," Amelia whispered to Caelan, rubbing his back to calm him down.

Abigail put a hand over her mouth, her eyes full of apology. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare him."

Amelia shook her head. "It's fine. You didn't know. He's terrified of strangers. He just needs time to warm up is all."

"Between the pizza and this, I am just batting a thousand." Abigail glanced around the room nervously, her spirit defeated some. Mary refused to look her in the eye, but Marshall gave her a encouraging smile.

"I'm pregnant," Amelia explained. "The smell of all that meat was just too overwhelming."

"You're pregnant?" Mary and Abigail exclaimed at the same time. Abigail glanced at Mary who looked to Marshall. Marshall flashed to Mary before settling on Amelia.

"I am," Amelia confirmed. "Now, what do you say we go eat some pizza? Just keep the meat lovers away from me."

Abigail waited until they were all settled at the table, eating, before speaking again. "So, tell me, Amme, how did you meet Marshall's brother?"

"Uh," Marshall started, but Amelia stopped him with the shake of her hand. She didn't want to make Abigail feel any more awkward than she already had that evening.

Amelia took a deep breath. "Sam and I met the day of orientation in college. We were all in the auditorium being lectured on safety or rules or something. He was studiously taking notes. I was sitting behind him and a friend was sitting in front of him. We were passing a flask back and forth over him." Amme smiled, lost in memories. "He kept huffing and puffing at us, hissing at us to stop. I decided right there that I was going to make him have fun and dragged him out with us after orientation. In hindsight, that might have been the alcohol talking."

"They were inseparable from that moment on, like peanut butter and marshmallow fluff," Marshall added.

"Like the Captain and Tennille."

"Like H2O by physical means."

"Like green eggs and ham."

"Like gum at the bottom of my shoe," Mary interjected causing Marshall and Amelia to laugh. Abigail looked bewildered.

Abigail leaned forward, eager to get back into the conversation. "So, how did he propose?"

Noticing Amelia's reluctance to answer this question, Mary tossed her napkin down and said, "Hey, barbie, if you're looking for pointers on how to get a man to propose to you, you're barking up the wrong tree!"

"I was just trying to make conversation, Mary," Abigail protested, quietly. Marshall focused on the pizza in front of him, torn between agreeing with Mary and admonishing her. He didn't appreciate the way Mary spoke to Abigail, but he appreciated the fact the Mary stepped in when Amme was getting uncomfortable.

"Sam actually wasn't the first person to propose to me," Amelia offered as a way to break the silence. "I was on my senior class trip to Disney World and met up with a few foreign exchange students. The last night there, Vincenzo proposed to me and offered to take back home to Italy."

Mary took a bite of her pizza. "Hard to believe you turned that down."

"I probably should have taken him up on the offer. Would have been a free trip to Italy." Again, Mary, Marshall, and Amelia laughed, leaving Abigail stumped as to why they were taking marriage so lightly.

"So, what did you think of her?" Marshall asked Amelia when he returned to the living room after walking Abigail to her car. Mary had begged off to bed and Caelan had been asleep for hours.

Amelia studied him for a few moments before answering. "She seems nice."

"Nice?" Marshall repeated. "Come on. I know you have more than that."

"Do you want to hear what I really think or do you want to hear what you want to hear? Think carefully, Marsh. You can't un-hear it."

Marshall looked away from her, debating in his head. His face grew more and more strained as her went over the pros and cons.

"Marsh?" Amelia reached out and touched his knee to bring him back to her. "She's a very nice person. I mean that. She really seems to care about you and she seems to want to be involved in your world, getting to know me, and Caelan, and Mary. She's a little overwhelming at times, but I'm sure that's just nerves."

"Thank you," Marshall told her, knowing she made the decision for him. "Have you talked to Sam?"

Amelia shook her head. "I left a voicemail. He hasn't called back."

"What happened with the two of you?" Marshall's voice was soft.

"Everything just went to hell after Jack died. Sam's just never around. Caelan doesn't even look for him anymore. Even when he's home, he's not really with us. I don't know what else I can do. " Amelia started to cry as Marshall pulled her into his arms. "He's the love of my life, Marsh, but I can't let my kids grow up like that."

"It'll be okay. It'll be okay."

Marshall made a mental note to call his baby brother to find out just what was going on in his head.


	5. Always a Jinx

They all quickly fell into routine over the next few days. Caelan would get up between 7:30 and 8am, waking Amelia up with kisses and giggles as he always did. Amelia would begin to make breakfast while Caelan pattered down the hall to Mary's room. The first time he woke Mary up, she shrieked, causing Caelan to cry and Amelia to come running. The second time he woke Mary up, she sent him out of the room with a glare. The third time he woke Mary up, she picked him up into the bed, and there they stayed until Amelia came to get them for breakfast. She picked him up every morning after that.

After breakfast, the three of them would traipse outside to Mary's backyard to spend the remainder of the morning in the sun. Amelia let Mary as far as a lounge chair and no further, much to Mary's annoyance. Marshall would come over at lunch time, allowing Amelia and Caelan to explore Albuquerque for an hour or so and leaving Mary and Marshall some time alone to discuss the latest news at work. While Caelan and Mary took naps in the afternoon, Amelia cleaned, watched television, or took a nap herself. Marshall stopped by after work for dinner, sometimes with Abigail, who had yet to gain the trust of Caelan, and sometimes without. He would stay for a good chunk of the evening, either way.

Saturday morning brought a change of routine for the household. Marshall stopped by on his way to the farmers' market, dropping off doughnuts, coffee, and a promise to bring Mary's favorite burgers home for lunch. Abigail was on assignment and he planned to spend the entire day with his sister-in-law, nephew, and partner as soon as his errands were completed. If he was honest with himself, he was looking forward to spending the day at Mary's house without Abigail a bit more than he should, even as he justified it as a chance to get to know his nephew that he rarely saw.

It had begun to rain mid-morning, driving Mary, Amelia, and Caelan inside. Amelia settled Mary and Caelan in the living room, watching one of the kid-friendly dvds that Marshall brought over. She went about cleaning the kitchen until the doorbell rang.

"Can I help you?" Amelia asked when she opened the door to find an older petite brunette standing on the porch, wringing her hands nervously.

"Who are you?" the brunette demanded.

Amelia scanned her up and down. "Amelia."

The brunette put her hand on her hip. "Well, Amelia, do you mind telling me what you're doing answering my daughter's door?"

"Oh!" Amelia replied, understanding filling her eyes. "You must be Mary's mother. I am Marshall's sister-in-law. I've been helping Mary out while she's been on bed rest."

"Bed rest?" Jinx repeated, darting inside. She strolled purposefully to the living room. "Mary, why didn't you tell me you were on bed rest? I would have come and stayed with you."

Mary looked up, stress all over her face. "Because I'm suppose to stay calm and you're not exactly known for that."

"What do you mean?"

"Are you seriously asking me that?" Mary stood from the couch and walked to the kitchen. Jinx followed her. Amelia hovered in the background, keeping one eye on Caelan and the other on the kitchen.

Jinx put a hand on her hip. "Yes, I am. The only thing I ever want to do is help you and all you do is push me away!"

"The only thing? When have you ever tried to help me? When have you ever given a damn about what I want or need?" Mary's breathing grew rapidly as her voice amplified.

"And there you go!" Jinx fired back. "You're the only one who gets to care! Who gets to feel! Who gets to matter!"

Mary threw her hands in the air. "What are you talking about?"

"Why haven't you done anything to find your baby sister?"

"Brandi is an adult! She chose to walk away from the wedding, from Peter, and yes, Mom, even from you! She will come back when she's ready! I have other things to worry about."

"Like this bed rest that you didn't bother to tell me about. I can't believe you are so insensitive to think that just because you are getting rid of my first grandchild that I wouldn't care that-"

Mary cringed, raging pulsing through her. Somewhere, it entered her consciousness that Amelia had moved from her position in the kitchen to the front door. "I am not 'getting rid of your first grandchild!' Get that through your thick skull! I am- I am-"

Mary bowled over as pain burst through her abdomen. She cried out in fear and agony, "Marshall!"

As if summoned by magic, Marshall appeared by her side. He rubbed her back, muttering in her ear to calm her down. When she glanced up at him with tears in her eyes, he swept her into his arms. "Come on. We're going to the emergency room."

"Oh, Mary, my poor-" Jinx was cut off when Amelia stood between her and the front door that Marshall and Mary had just passed through.

"Call us when you find out what's going on," Amelia called after Marshall. He nodded, but didn't slow down his progression to the car.

Jinx turned her attention from Marshall's car as it drove away to Amelia. "She is the most selfish person-"

"Mrs. Shannon," Amelia shouted over Jinx's drama meltdown, "would you like some tea?"

"Yes, that would be lovely," Jinx said, turning on her sickening sweet voice. "And please, call me 'Jinx.'"

She was quiet as she sat at the kitchen counter while Amelia made the tea. She absently stirred sugar into her mug, watching as Caelan played with his trucks near the couch, the earlier argument seemingly had no affect on him. "You have a beautiful son."

Amelia smiled. "Thank you. I'm a pretty fond of him myself."

Jinx laid her spoon on a napkin. "This is my first grandchild, you know. I never thought... I'd have to say good-bye to him as soon as I said hello."

"She can pick an adoptive family that's willing to do an open adoption. You don't have to say good-bye completely."

"I suppose." Jinx turned from Caelan to look fully at Amelia, sadness in her eyes. "I know I was a terrible mother. Mary thinks I don't know that, but I do. I was wrapped up in myself that I didn't put my girls first, but I loved them. I've always loved them. This baby was going to be my chance to redeem myself."

Amelia licked her lips, choosing which thoughts to voice very carefully. "Babies can't do that. Even if she keeps the baby and you become the perfect grandmother, that's not going to change the type of mother that you were; that you are. If you want to prove to your girls that you've changed, that you want to be a good mother for them, you have to do that on your own."

Jinx grew silent again, mulling over Amelia's words. Her thoughts spun her in another direction. "She thinks she can't do that, be a good mother. She thinks that the only perfect families have a mother and father. It's a little girl's dream. She thinks she doesn't deserve to raise that baby because she's not perfect." Jinx sighed. "I did that to her. I fell apart after her father left. I left her alone. She believes that if James had stuck around that things would have turned out okay, but the truth is, things were falling apart long before he abandoned us."

"Have you told her that? How things really were back then?"

Jinx shrugged. "We only ever seem to argue when we talk about the past... or the future... or really anything at all. I just want her to see that she could keep this child, that should could be a good mother."

"I don't know Mary very well, but it seems to me that the more you dig your heels in on this adoption thing, the more she's going to fight you on it."

"That's my Mary."

Amelia took a sip of her tea. "Mary may decide to give the baby up for adoption or she may decide to keep it, but I'm pretty sure that if you don't back off and let her decide for herself, she's going to give the baby away simply to spite you. It would be better for all of you if she decided this on her own."

Jinx nodded slowly. "You're pretty easy to talk to."

"You're welcome to come talk to me whenever you'd like, as long as you don't upset Mary."

"You're almost as protective of her as Marshall." Jinx laughed at the surprise on Amelia's face. "Oh, I know a bit more then they think. It's not hard to see how much Marshall cares about her."

Amelia bent her head down. "And Mary?"

"Mary spends half her time trying to push him away and the other half terrified of losing him. I honestly don't know if she's in love with him or if she has just never had a friend like him, but I do know he's the only one she's let in to see the real her since her father left. I just hope she doesn't screw that up."

Mary raised her head when she heard the door to the hospital room open. She saw Marshall and breathed an internal sigh of relief, wondering not for the first time about the calming effect that he had on her. It had been there since the early days of their partnership, but lately she felt it stronger than ever. Her musings were cut short by Marshall clearing his throat and she realized she had been staring. Mary shot him a sheepish grin.

Marshall crossed the room, sitting in the chair beside the bed. "So, what did they say?"

"They're running a few tests, but everything seems fine. It was just a rise in blood pressure combined with some Braxton Hicks contractions."

"So, he's doing okay, then?" Marshall's fingers were itching to touch her swollen stomach, but he kept them to himself.

Mary arched an eyebrow. "He?"

He shrugged. "It just... feels like a boy."

"The baby's fine," Mary assured him. She noticed Marshall flexing his fingers. "In fact, he... or she... is kicking up a storming right now."

Marshall gasped when Mary took his hand and planted it firmly on the upper part of her stomach. He felt his throat clam up as he felt the steady pounding of the baby. Marshall impulsively kissed Mary's stomach, right over the kicking.

"Am I interrupting?" the doctor asked, walking into the room.

"No," Mary snapped. Marshall offered him an apologetic smile.

The doctor reviewed the chart in his hand. "Well, Miss Shannon, everything looks fine. Just try to get yourself worked up and make an appointment to see your regular doctor in the morning."

"Thank you," Marshall told him before Mary had a chance to say anything else. The doctor quickly scurried from the room. "All right, let's see about getting you out of here."

Mary sighed. "I do not want to go face Jinx."

Marshall squeezed her shoulder. "I don't think you have to worry about that. I'm pretty Amme has it taken care of. She's good at that. So, do you want to talk about what got you so upset?"

Mary opened her mouth. She saw Marshall's hopeful expression and felt her emotional doors slam shut. She shrugged. "Oh, you know, the same Jinx drama as always. You'd think I wouldn't be shocked by after almost forty years."

"I'll see about getting you out of here," Marshall told her, unable to hide his disappointment. He sensed she had been about to open up to him, but she hid as always did. He used to be able to read every emotion of hers, but lately it felt as if she was deliberately hiding from him and not just hiding from the world. He wasn't sure if it was due to her pregnancy or his relationship with Abigail, but he desperately wanted to change it. He just didn't know how.


	6. Everyone Loves a Cuddle

Mary was quiet for most of the car ride home. Marshall filled the silence with his endless chatter as he often did. She indulged him with an occasional smile. She had her forehead against the window as they pulled up. Mary sighed as she saw Jinx's car still in front of the house.

"Great. The drama continues," Mary commented, her voice wary.

Marshall frowned as he put the car in park. "If she says anything, let me take care of it." He held his hand up when she huffed. "Just for now. You just head back to bed. You need your rest."

Mary took a deep breath, putting her hand on her stomach where the baby was kicking once again. She thought about relinquishing that control to Marshall versus engaging in another battle with her mother. "Okay."

"Okay?" Marshall repeated. He was sure she would tell him to shut up or mind his own business or some other sarcastic comment. He hadn't expected her to agree.

"Look, I'm tired. I don't want to get into it with my mother again. I'll go lay down and you can deal with her."

Marshall smiled. He got out of the car before helping her out as well. He made sure to drop his hands from her as soon as she was standing. He didn't want to push her too far, not when she was being as agreeable as she was. He walked behind her to the house where Jinx and Amelia met them at the door.

Jinx ran her hand up and down Mary's arm. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she replied, tersely.

"Nothing to worry about," Marshall told her, extracting Mary from Jinx. He pushed her towards her bedroom. "Just some Braxton Hicks contractions."

Jinx nodded. She shot a quick glance to Amelia. "Okay, well, call me if you need anything. Bye."

Both Marshall and Mary looked at the door in shock as Jinx left without further drama. They turned their attention to Amelia.

"She agreed to wait until you call before coming back over," Amelia assured Mary.

Mary shot a half smile to Amelia. "Do you have magical powers?"

Amelia shrugged. "I have some experience in difficult mothers."

"Bed," Marshall ordered before the conversation could continue further. Mary shot him a glare, but didn't argue. Instead, she mumbled on her way down the hall.

"Is everything okay?" Amelia asked.

"False alarm. She just needs to relax." Marshall smirked to himself over that. Mary was good at a lot of things. Relaxing was not one of them.

Amelia checked on Caelan, who was engrossed in his television show. She beat down the guilt that threatened to blossom over letting him watch television. "So, that was Jinx."

"Yes," Marshall said, annoyance in his voice.

"She's something," Amelia continued. She smirked when she saw Marshall roll his eyes. "She reminds me of your mother."

Marshall's jaw dropped so fast she thought she heard it snap. "She is nothing like my mother!"

"Your mother is every bit the drama queen that Jinx is. She is just more subtle about it." Amelia laughed at the disbelief on his face. "Go three days without calling her and see what happens. Try being her daughter-in-law and disagreeing with her son."

Marshall nodded, conceding her point, but still felt the need to defend his mother. "She just loves her boys."

"I know!" Amelia countered. "It's just to a fault sometimes. You guys aren't always right after all."

"Speaking of which," Marshall rubbed his chin, "have you talked to Sam?"

Amelia frowned. "A few days ago, briefly. He's on a case right now so he's hard to get in touch with. What about you? Have you heard from him?"

"I left him a message. He hasn't gotten back to me." Marshall avoided her gaze by turning to Caelan. He watched as Caelan crawled off the couch and toddled down the hallway. "Where's he going?"

Amelia smiled, her eyes following Caelan's trek. "He's going to find Mary."

Marshall whipped around. "What?"

"They've become pretty close, Caelan and Mary. They cuddle together every morning while I make breakfast."

"What?" Marshall repeated, his brain going blank trying to make sense of Amelia's statement.

Amelia giggled at his reaction. "Go check on them."

Marshall quietly made his way down the hallway after Caelan. He stood to the side of Mary's door so that he could peer inside without being seen. Mary had pulled Caelan onto the bed, settling him in her arms. He was sucking on the fingers of one hand while using the fingers of his free hand to play with her hair.

"Song, Aun-Mar," Caelan mumbled around his fingers.

"You're a real pain with this, you know," she told him with a smirk. He nodded, but continued to stare her. She shook her head before softly singing "Mary Had a Little Lamb." When she was finished, she kissed his temple. "I know you're out there, Doofus."

Marshall cringed before sticking his head inside the bedroom. "Sorry. I was just checking on Caelan."

"Uh-huh." Mary rolled her eyes. "He's fine."

"He looks better than fine." Marshall stepped gingerly inside the room. "He really likes you."

"You don't need to sound so surprised. I'm a likeable person."

Marshall sat down on the bed, contemplating her tone. It sounded sarcastic, but he could hear the hurt underneath. "I know that. I didn't mean to sound 'so surprised.' I happen to like you quite a bit."

Mary regarded him for a moment before turning her gaze down to Caelan. He was watching her intently with his big, blue eyes. Caelan gave her a wide grin. "He's a pretty likeable kid himself."

"He really makes you think about the whole... kid thing, doesn't he?" Marshall tiptoed cautiously, gauging Mary's reaction.

Mary scoffed. "Please. We both know my kid's going to be a hellion no matter whom he goes to."

Marshall chuckled along with her even as his mind raced. She was still implying that she intended to give the baby up, but she also used the phrase "my kid" instead of "the kid" or "it." Her attachment to Caelan surprised him. It wasn't that Mary wasn't good with kids; she was, even as she believed otherwise. It was the level of attachment that made him pause. Caelan wasn't a kid in trouble; he was well-adjusted with a mother that adored him and a family that would do anything to protect him. He wasn't the typical child in need that Mary was usually drawn to. This wasn't the typical way she responded to children, either, these quiet little moments of pure affection instead of tough love. And if Amme was to be believed, and she had never given him a reason to doubt her, this was a daily occurrence. Marshall wasn't sure what all of this meant, yet, but he knew it was going to give him a lot to contemplate.

"Hey, you just going to sit there and stare all day?" Mary snapped, drawing Marshall out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Sorry. I'm going to go see what we're doing for dinner." Marshall patted her knee before scurrying from the bedroom.

Mary made a face at Caelan, causing him to laugh. "Your uncle Marshall is a goober."

"Yeah," Caelan agreed.

"Hello?" Marshall called out to the darkened house. The front porch light was on and Abigail's car was in the driveway, but the living room and the dining room were dark. "Abigail?"

"In here," Abigail answered from the kitchen.

Marshall entered to find her sitting at the table, drinking a glass of wine. The bottle sat open off to the side. She had only the light over the sink on. Marshall leaned down and kissed her temple. "How was your day?"

"It was fine," she replied, a bit stiffly. Marshall brushed it off as her having a long day. "Did you spend the day at Mary's?"

"Mm, mostly," Marshall answered, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. "I ran a few errands in the morning and I had to take Mary to the emergency room."

Abigail glanced at him, startled, as he sat down. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Just stress brought on by a fight with her mother. Nothing to worry about." He sat down at the table. "Mary and Caelan have bonded."

"Bonded?"

Marshall's eyes glazed over as he thought about his day. "They cuddle together. Caelan is completely fascinated by her. He looks for her when she's gone for too long."

"Hm," Abigail commented, unable to keep the jealousy from her voice.

"Well, yeah, I mean," Marshall said, slowly, "she's with him all the time. Even so, it took him a few days to warm up to her."

Abigail placed her hand over his. "Honey, I love you, but that kid just plain doesn't like me."

"That's because he doesn't know you like I do."

She smiled at that. "So, what are your plans for tomorrow?"

"I promised Caelan that I would take him swimming. Do you want to come?"

"I was hoping that we could spend the day together. I feel like we haven't spent any alone time since your sister-in-law got to town."

Marshall squirmed uncomfortably. "I promised him."

"He's two. Is he really going to remember?" She sighed when she saw Marshall struggle with an answer. "It's okay. Michelle's been wanting a girls' day anyway. I'll give her a call tomorrow."

"You sure? The offer to come with me still stands."

Abigail finished her glass of wine. "Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll see what Michelle's up to." She stood, placing a hand in his hair, gently scraping his scalp. "I'm going to head off to bed. You coming?"

"I'll be there shortly," he said with a smile. He waited until he heard her begin to climb the stairs before releasing a huge breath. He knew she was right: they hadn't spent much alone time since Amelia got there. Actually, they hadn't spent much alone time since Mary went into the hospital. All his energy was so focused on making sure that Mary was safe that he let his relationship with Abigail just float along.

Mary was his partner, his best friend, and Amelia and Caelan were only in town for a short time. Abigail would just have to understand that. She had before. Marshall pushed away the little voice in his head that asked him just how much longer Abigail would continue to "understand" and why he was asking the woman he supposed loved to be second best to the woman that was only supposed to be his friend.

"Marshall?" Abigail called out from the top of the stairs, interrupting his musings. "Can you grab my phone when you come up? It's on the front hall table."

"You got it!" Marshall yelled back. He put the wine away before grabbing her phone and heading upstairs, deciding to think about his relationships another day.


	7. A Little Piece of the Pie

"Everything okay?" Mary asked Marshall. They were sitting on her couch watching the noon news. Mary's feet were propped in his lap and he was massaging her feet as she had complained about how swollen they were while they were eating lunch. He was staring absently at the television screen, quiet for the last twenty minutes, practically unheard of with Marshall.

"Huh?" Marshall replied, tearing his eyes away from the screen to look at her. His thoughts were a whirlwind, swirling from Mary and the baby to him and Abigail to Mary and Caelan to Amelia and Sam to him and Mary to the latest problem witness to Mary. He hadn't realized he had gone silent for so long.

Mary narrowed her eyes. "What's going on with you?"

He shrugged. "Just a lot on my mind, I suppose."

"Oh yeah?" She fought the urge to make a smartass remark. "Anything I can help with?"

Marshall looked at her in surprised, causing Mary to almost feel ashamed that her best friend was so shocked by her offer to help. "I think I'm on my own for now."

"If you need to talk..."

Marshall reached out and squeezed one of her hands. "Thanks, Mare. That means a lot."

"Get back to that foot rub," she ordered to cover the blush she felt rise to her cheeks. It had to be the pregnancy hormones that were causing her heart to speed up at his touch. She opened her mouth to say more, but was stopped by the front door opening.

"Aun-Mar! Tots!" Caelan shouted, running into the living room. "Tots!"

"Oh, yummy!" Mary told him, gleefully as he kissed her cheek.

Marshall looked at the two of them bewildered. "What is he talking about?"

"Tator tots," Mary and Amelia said at the same as Amelia walked into the house carrying two bags of groceries. She added, "He couldn't wait to tell Aunt Mary."

"Do you need some help?" Marshall called to her as she went into the kitchen.

"Nope. Those are the only two bags." Amelia reappeared in the living room. She purposely messed up his hair to watch him fuss. "Are you going to be here for dinner?"

Marshall nodded. "Actually, Stan wants to come, if that's okay. He wants to check on Mary."

"And Abigail?"

Marshall watched Mary for the cringe that accompanied any mentioned Abigail. She didn't disappoint. "Yeah, I think she's coming, too."

Amelia caught Mary's cringe, too. She slid her eyes to Marshall, but he purposely did not meet her eyes. "How's spaghetti and meatballs?"

"With your grandma's special sauce?" Mary chuckled at Marshall's excitement.

"Yep. I made it yesterday."

Marshall made an inarticulate noise and motioned as if he was cleaning up drool from his face. He picked Caelan up and tickled him, lost in his glee. Amelia may not be the best cook in the world, but when she made her grandma's secret sauce, both family and friends began vying for invitations.

"So, I'm guessing that this sauce is good?" Mary questioned.

"This sauce will change your life," Marshall promised. He glanced at his watch before standing, putting Caelan on the couch. "I've got to get back to the office, but I will be back as soon as I can."

"I'll walk you out," Amelia told him. She intentionally hit his heels as they walked to his truck.

Marshall turned on her as soon as he reached the driver's side door. "How are you feeling? Have you found a doctor yet?"

"What are you playing at, Marsh?" she redirected. "I saw the way you looked at Mary when you mentioned Abigail was coming, waiting for that frozen jealousy to kick in. Speaking of Abigail, why is it that she hasn't been around lately?"

He shrugged. "She doesn't think Caelan likes her."

"Really?" Amelia's tone had a hint of bitterness to it. "He's two."

"Okay, it may also have to do with the fact that she thinks we haven't spent any time alone together since you go here."

"Is she wrong?"

Marshall shook his head, reluctantly.

"You're going to have to do something about that," she told him, pointedly.

"What about you?" Marshall countered. "You're not exactly the poster child for confronting your issues. Have you even talked to Sam lately?"

Amelia glared at him, but he simply glared back. After a few moments, she rolled her eyes and smirked. "Touché."

"Mary! You look wonderful!" Stan said, boisterously as he entered her living room. He held his hands out as if to hug her, but stopped short by the look on her face.

"If by 'wonderful' you mean 'fat, bloated, and tired' then I completely agree with you." Mary sat up straighter on the couch to allow Marshall to sit down. Stan sat in the chair, taking in the comfortable body language between his two inspectors, something he hadn't seen since before Mary's engagement several years earlier.

"How are you feeling, Mary?"

She glanced at Marshall before answering. "Okay. I had some Braxton Hicks contractions last week, but nothing to worry about. My doctor says that if I go into labor at this point, they won't try to stop it, but that they'd like to keep him cooking as long as possible."

"Him?" Stan asked, startled. The last he heard, she wasn't finding out the sex of the baby.

"Marshall seems to think it's a boy," she explained, sheepishly. Beside her, Marshall beamed, earning him an elbow in the side.

Amelia entered the living room, followed by Caelan. She handed Mary a glass of water and Marshall a glass of iced tea, ignoring Mary's scowl. "Mr. McQueen, can I get you anything to drink? Milk? Water? Juice? Iced Tea? Scotch? Whiskey? Tequila?"

"Tequila," Mary whispered, longingly.

"Water," Marshall redirected.

Stan smiled, politely, "Iced tea is fine. And, please, call me Stan."

Caelan hung his head off Mary's knee, looking up at her expectantly. Mary tried three times to bend down to him before giving up. She looked to Marshall with a pout while Amelia returned with iced tea for Stan. "A little help here."

Marshall picked Caelan up and put him on Mary's lap. Caelan patted her stomach gently while Amelia went to answer the door. He looked over at Stan, shyly. "Baby." He turned to Marshall. "Unc' Mars, baby."

"That's right," Marshall affirmed. Mary made a face at him.

"Baby kick." Caelan grabbed Marshall's hand and placed it on Mary's stomach to feel the baby kick. Mary released a slow breath as Marshall's fingers touched her swollen stomach. Her eyes roamed across the ceiling before snuck a glance at Marshall's face. He was sporting a goofy grin.

"Hi, everyone," Abigail said, walking into the living room, her voice attempting to maintain her normal perkiness. Her eyes were fixed firmly on the family scene on the couch. Marshall quickly removed his hand.

"Oh, joy," Mary mumbled while rolling her eyes.

Stan rose from his seat, his instinct to draw attention away from his inspectors. "Detective Chaffee, always a pleasure to see you."

"Abigail," she told him with a genuine smile.

"And I insist that you call me, Stan."

Amelia cleared her throat. "Dinner's ready. We can go ahead into the dining room." She smirked Marshall's uncomfortableness and the way Mary shot herself off the couch. She shook her head as Marshall passed, handing her Caelan. He gave her a menacing look that she laughed off.

Dinner was a tense affair. Abigail sent Marshall sad and confused looks that he tried to ignore, instead concentrating on the spaghetti in front of him. Mary took digs at Abigail at each chance she got, which only seemed to cause Marshall to retreat into himself more. Stan and Amelia tried to carry on the conversation, but it fell flat. Only Caelan remained unaffected, but between Stan and Abigail, he reverted back into his shell.

"Who would like some apple pie?" Amelia asked as she cleared the last of the dishes from the table.

"Ooh, pie!" Mary and Marshall said together. Marshall eyed Amme suspiciously. "You didn't make it, did you?"

Amelia scowled. "No, I bought it. I haven't made a pie since the disaster of '03."

"'Disaster of '03?'" Mary laughed. "I demand details!"

"Absolutely not! You are not to say one word, Marshall!"

Marshall raised his hand in surrender. "Sorry, Mare. My lips are sealed."

"I'd love a slice," Stan replied to Amelia's inquiry.

Abigail waved her wand. "None for me, thanks. I don't really like pie."

"What?" Mary and Marshall said together. Abigail shrunk in her seat, slightly abashed. Mary added with attitude, "Who doesn't like pie?"

"Pie, Mama! Pie!" Caelan shouted, oblivious to the awkward silence that descended over the group. Amelia shushed him before doling out pie to everyone but Abigail.

Stan took a deep breath in the middle of eating his pie. "So, Mary, have you thought about how much time you're going to take after the baby comes?"

Marshall and Amelia glanced at each other while Mary shifted uncomfortably. "What do you mean, Stan?"

"Is it going to be six weeks? Twelve weeks? A few months?"

"Jesus, Stan!" Mary tossed her fork onto her plate. "Really? Using my time off as a subtle way of figuring out if I'm giving up this kid or not? I thought you were better than that!"

"Mary..."

"I don't think that's what Stan is saying at all," Abigail spoke up.

Mary huffed loudly. Somewhere, it entered her consciousness that Amelia had grabbed Caelan and moved him to the living room. "And who asked you anyway? My life is none of your business."

"Mary, I really think you should calm down," Marshall muttered, knowing he was taking his life in his hands by trying to mollify her when she got into this mood. Weighed against another trip to the hospital, however, he risked it.

"Your life if my business when it affects my life," Abigail replied.

"Explain!" Mary demanded.

Abigail scowled. "Marshall's been taking over a lot of your duties since you've been out and I think it's only fair he gets to know how much longer he's going to have to cover for you; be at your beck and call. If you're going to be out for months, these guys deserve to know and maybe get some help."

"Actually-" Stan started.

"Hard work, long hours, it's all part of them job," Mary countered. "We can't all walk around solving the latest mystery of the Hardy Boys."

Abigail stood, one hand on her hip. "You know what, Mary? I've had enough. You've been disrespectful to me from the moment you met me. I'm sorry you didn't choose Marshall." Mary's eyes grew wide while Marshall grimaced. Stan rubbed his face with his hand. "I'm sorry he moved on with his life. I'm sorry you got yourself knocked up by your ex who turned around and abandoned you the minute things got tough. None of that is my fault."

"I never said it was," Mary replied, stilted.

"You have all these people jumping through hoops for you and you don't even appreciate it. You are an unhappy person. You should really give that kid up before you screw him up anymore than you already."

"That's enough!" Marshall barked, his protective side kicking in. "I think you need to leave."

Abigail looked around the table. "Yeah, I think so."

The house was near silent after Abigail stormed out save for the noise of Caelan playing with his cars. Mary stared at the remainder of her pie, Abigail's words swirling in her head. Marshall locked gazes with Amelia, who had moved back into the room, but he was unable to decipher the look on her face. He put his face in his hand, trying to calm his anger. He knew Abigail had resented the time he spent away from her recently, but he never expected her to blow up like this, especially in front of Stan.

Stan rose from the table. He placed his hand on Mary's shoulder, waiting until she looked up to speak. "Mary, take as long as you need. Whatever you decide to do, I'm behind you. I just want to know if I should extend O'Brien's temporary assignment. It doesn't need to be decided right now."

"Thanks, Stan," Mary told him. Stan nodded. He said his good night and quickly left the house. Mary got up from the table, her entire body language defeated. "I'm going to lay down for awhile."

"I'll come check on you in a bit," Amelia promised her. She waited until Mary left before sitting down next to Marshall. "How you doing?"

Marshall pulled his face from his hands. She could tears in the corners of his eyes. "How do I choose between them? Mary... she doesn't want me, not like that, but I can't abandon her. I can't leave her. Abigail wants a life with me; the house, the dog, the kids. I love her. I do. I should want that life with her."

"But you don't."

"I don't know," Marshall admitted, quietly. "Don't I deserve to be happy?"

Amelia covered his hands with hers. "Of course, you do. You do! You just have to figure out what that is. When are you the most happiest?"

"She doesn't love me back," he whispered.

"You've never asked her. You've hinted and you've inferred, but you've never actually asked her. You're both too afraid that she'll run."

Marshall tensed. "Again. She'll run again. She's already run and that was just with a hint of my feelings."

Amelia shrugged. "So, she runs. You'll either work through it and remain friends or you won't work through it and won't remain friends. Either way, it's got to be better than this limbo you're stuck in."

"I don't know about that." Marshall tried to picture his life without Mary and found he couldn't. She was wrapped up in every thought he had, every action he made. She was always in the back of his mind, even when the decision had nothing to do with her.

"Well, let me tell you this: what you're doing to Abigail isn't fair. If she's not your first choice, if she's not who's always on your mind, then you need to let her go. Let her go find someone that makes her his whole world."

Marshall squeezed her hands before nodding. He knew he wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight. "I'm going to check on Mary before I head out."

"Hey, Marsh?" Amelia called out as he reached the hallway. He turned to look at her. "You know I love you, right? You're the best big brother I ever had."

He smiled at her. "Yeah, I know. I love you, too."

He knocked hesitantly on Mary's door, entering before she had a chance to say anything. The room was dark. Mary was lying on her side, staring out the window, her back to him. He knew by her rigid body language that she was still awake. Marshall sat down on the bed in front of her, placing a hand on her arm.

"I don't want to talk about it," Mary told him, tersely.

Marshall studied her in the moonlight. "Okay. I am sorry, though. I'll keep her away from here."

"Good."

"I want you to know, Mare, she's wrong. Whether you give him up or keep him, you're not going to screw him up. He's lucky to have you." He leaned down and kissed her cheek.


	8. Unwelcomed Surprises

Marshall opened the front door to the house he shared with Abigail, surprised to find he wasn't greeted at the door by Oscar. In fact, the entire house was quiet. Marshall stepped inside, but didn't find anything out of place. He continued to trek further into the house. A small scraping noise drew him to the kitchen. He found Abigail there, drinking a cup of coffee, the paper in front of her.

"Good morning," he said, cautiously.

"Morning," she replied, tersely. "Where did you stay last night?"

Marshall placed his hands on the back of the chair. "At a motel. I thought it would be a good idea to give us both some time to cool off." Abigail simply stared at him warily. To lighten the mood, he said, "So, where is that mangy mutt of ours? I thought for sure he'd be slobbering all over me the minute I walked through the door."

Abigail took a sip of coffee. "I asked Kelly to watch him for a few days until we sort things out."

"Okay. What-"

"Do you want to be in this relationship?"

Marshall froze. "What?"

"It's not something you should have to think about," Abigail huffed. She looked away from him, shaking her head slightly. "They warned me about getting involved with you, but I didn't listen. They said that you were head over heels for Mary, but I believed you when you said they were wrong. I even justified you covering Mary over me, but after last night-"

"Last night?" Marshall jumped in. "Last night where you jumped all over my partner for being out on medical leave? Where you accused her of being a bad mother? Where you told her that the baby is better off without her? What gives you the right to say anything to Mary?"

Abigail's nostrils flailed. "What gives me the right? How about the fact that everything she does, every decision she makes ends up affecting my life? Mary rejects you; I get you. Mary decides she needs to run away from Albuquerque for awhile after sleeping with her ex and I lose my boyfriend for six weeks. Mary has lunch with a guy and you're asking me to move in. And I know she picked this place out."

"She's my best friend! Of course, I'm going to listen to her opinion!"

"I can't figure out if you actually believe the crap you're spewing or if it's been your party line for so long that it's become second nature for you." Abigail rubbed her forehead. "I can't keep doing this. You-"

She was interrupted by Marshall's phone ringing. He glanced at the screen. "I have to take this. It's my brother. He's been avoiding my calls."

Abigail waved him off, stepping out of the kitchen. Marshall sighed as he watched her go, a mixture of emotions sweeping over him. He hit the button on his phone to answer it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Marsh. It's Sam."

"Sam. It's about time you called me back." Marshall moved from the counter to the backdoor, staring out into the yard.

Sam cleared his throat, angrily. "Well, I've been a little busy."

"Too busy to call your wife? Your son?" Marshall countered. "Too busy to save your marriage?"

"If you just called to lecture me, Marshall, I have better things to go."

"What happened between the two of you?" Marshall asked, his voice softening. "All Amelia will say is that things changed after Jack died. She says that you don't want to be home with them."

Sam was so quiet that Marshall was afraid that he had hung up. When he finally spoke, Marshall could hear the restrained anger in his voice. "What my wife and I are going through is none of your business."

"She's not going to be your wife for much longer if you don't fix this." Marshall released a slow breath. "What is going on with you, Sam? Why are you shutting me out? You used to be able to talk to me about anything."

"Things change," Sam told him, anger starting to give way to sadness, but not completely. "People change. Look, I have to go."

"Fine," Marshall told him, "but if you don't want to lose your wife and kids, you better get your ass to Albuquerque."

Marshall hung up the phone and slammed it on the table. He was angry with Sam, angry with Abigail, and frustrated with his situation with Mary. His life was start to spin out of control and he was quite sure how it had happened. He thought he had been moving on from Mary, but Abigail's argument had him wondering if all of the decisions he had made in the last year were strictly in reaction to decisions Mary made in her life. He believed that after she went away to Mexico that he had begun to untangle his and Mary's lives while still being her friend. Now, he was beginning to question all of it.

And then there was Sam. He and Sam had always been close, a bond forged in the shadow of their perfect older brother. Had Marshall gotten so caught up in his own drama that he had neglected to see the tailspin his brother was in? Sam had never told him to mind his own business. He had always welcomed Marshall's council, but now, it seemed he was trying to push Marshall away just as he had pushed Amelia away. Marshall could feel Amelia slipping away from Sam more and more each day, but if that phone call was any indication of the last year for Amelia, he couldn't exactly blame her.

Marshall shook his head, trying to stop the million thoughts circling his head. He decided to go for a run as it usually helped to file his thoughts into tidy folders. Hopefully, by the time he returned he would have a plan on how to help Sam and Amelia, Mary, and himself and Abigail.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Amelia told Mary as she stumbled into the living room. Mary growled in response, but Amelia just laughed. "There's fruit and apple juice waiting for you in the fridge."

"Joy," Mary grumbled, but she set off for the kitchen returning with the bowl of fruit and glass of apple juice. She sat down on the couch and watched Amelia and Caelan playing on the floor while she ate. "Where was my alarm clock this morning anyway?"

Caelan looked up and grinned at her, sensing she was talking about him.

"He tried to wake you up, but you were dead to the world." Amelia handed a block to Caelan. "I'm guessing you didn't sleep well last night?" Mary shrugged. "You wanna talk about it?"

Mary swallowed a large bite of fruit. "Not really."

Amelia slide onto the other end of the couch. "Wanna talk about what Abigail said last night, then?"

"Not really." Mary rolled her eyes when Amelia continued to stare at her. "I'm guessing we're going to talk about it anyway. Where do you want to start?"

"Where do you want to start?" Amelia countered.

Mary looked away from, concentrating on the back of Caelan's head. "She's not wrong."

"About what?"

"I would screw this kid up. He's better off going somewhere else. I'm not a mother. I never wanted him in the first place."

"No, you didn't," Amelia agreed. Mary's eyebrows shot up as she turned to her. "You wanted your life to go back to the way it was before you were pregnant, but Mary, that's never going to happen."

Mary frowned. "What do you mean?"

Amelia sighed. "Whether you go through with the adoption or not, you will have had a child. He'll always be a part of you and you'll always be a part of him. I'm afraid that you think it'll be as if he never existed once you hand him over to an adoptive family and it doesn't work that way. I'm afraid that you're not prepared for all of the emotions that will hit you once he comes."

"So, you think I shouldn't give him up?"

"I'm not saying that. Only you can make that decision. There are no easy choices here. Adoption is a wonderful thing. I know three families that adopted children and it was a wonderful experience for them."

Mary looked away again. "He deserves two parents."

"He'd have that here. Marshall would step up and take over that role."

"He shouldn't have to. I've dragged him into enough of my messes." Mary cleared her throat. "Besides, I mean he deserves to grow up in a house with two parents that love each other and him, like the Templetons." Mary paused, noticing Amelia make a face. "What? What is that?"

"What's what?"

"That face."

Amelia licked her lips. "It's just... I don't want you to think I'm pushing you away from adoption."

"But?" Mary was growing increasingly annoyed with Amelia's stalling.

"I think that if the Templetons were the family for you, you wouldn't be having such a hard time with this. They were the one family you said no to at first, but you end up picking them because they were the one file your dog didn't chew up? Do you know how insane that sounds?" Amelia took a deep breath, her voice growing with conviction. "This is your child's life. You have to be comfortable with the people you're giving him to."

Mary shifted, defensively. "I know that. On some level, I know that. That's why I canceled the meeting with them."

"Yeah, you did, but they're the only option you've talked about since. Have you talked to your adoption agency? Have you talked to anyone? This baby is coming in a month at the most. You have to start planning. When you have him, there will be a million emotions running through you amplified by your hormones going crazy. It's not the time to make this decision."

"I didn't realize you felt so strongly about this." Mary sat on the couch, slightly stunned.

Amelia's eyes softened. "I care about you, Mary. I don't want to see you make a decision in the heat of the moment and regret it. If you want to go with adoption, call your agency. Get some more families to look at. We'll keep Oscar away this time. If you want to keep him, start looking into how. I, for instance, would be happy to watch him when you were out of town."

"Oh yeah?" Mary asked, surreptitiously wiping away a tear. "How are you going to do that from Texas?"

"I'm not sure I'm going back to Texas. I wouldn't if you needed me here."

Mary glanced at Amelia's stomach, a small bulge just visible. "And what are you going to do with two infants?"

"I've done it before," Amelia said with a shrug. She continued when Mary gave her a curious look. "My sister had twins about two years before Caelan was born. She's my younger sister and better in everything in just about every way. But she had severe postpartum depression severely. They eventually had to hospitalize her. Her husband has a demanding job and my mother refused to give up any of her activities so they asked me to take the twins in for awhile. I had them for almost ten months until right before their first birthday."

"What happened?" Mary asked, enthralled by the story. Marshall hadn't mentioned it to her.

Amelia raised her hands. "My sister got better and they took the babies back."

"Just like that?"

"I had asked them to let me come up there for a month and let the girls get used to their parents again, to have a transition period, but they refused. My mother told me I was being selfish; that I was trying to play martyr. I've seen the girls twice since then."

Mary let out a long breath. "Marshall was right. You really are the caretaker."

Amelia chuckled. "Anyway, Jinx would do it or you could get a nanny. But you do need to start formulating a plan either way."

"I know."

They both fell into silence for a few minutes. Amelia had more to say to Mary about her decision, but sensed that Mary had reached her limit for the time. Amelia watched as Caelan picked up a purple car and brought it to Mary, laying it on her knee. "Vroom."

Mary picked up the car and ran it up and down his arms.

"So, you wanna talk about this not choosing Marshall thing now?" Amelia asked Mary. She pursed her lips to hold back her laughter as Mary glared at her. "Guess we'll save that for another time." She stood, ruffling Caelan's hair. "Your Aun-Mar is cranky when she doesn't get enough sleep."

"Cranky," Caelan agreed solemnly, nodding his head.

"Hey!" Mary shouted at both of them, but only received snickering in response.

Mary and Caelan spent the afternoon when they weren't napping in the living room playing with his cars and blocks. She had never known a kid to be as content as Caelan was for hours with the same toys. Mary was glad for it. She needed the distraction from the conversation that she and Amelia had had earlier. She knew that there was more that Amelia wanted to say, but she grateful that she held back.

Amelia was right, though. She did need to back decisions where this kid was concerned. The problem was that she just didn't know what those decisions should be. Neither of her options sounded particularly good: keep the kid and screw him up, hoping that the balance of his uncle Marshall was enough to keep him out of jail or give up the kid and give up a part of herself, always wondering what he was doing, if he was safe, and if she had made the right choice.

The doorbell rang, dragging Mary from her thoughts. She began to rise from the couch to answer the door when Amelia came barreling out of the kitchen.

"Mary, sit down!" Amelia ordered. Their talk that morning seemed to have brought out the fierce Mama bear instinct in Amelia.

Caelan hit Mary's leg. "Sit, Aun-Mar!"

"Caelan, we do not hit!" Amelia yelled as she opened the door. On the other side was the scowling face of her husband, Sam, and the condescending smile of her mother-in-law, Louise. Amelia felt her entire body shut down. "What are you doing here?"

"We came to see you and Caelan, of course," Louise answered, sweetly.

Any further comment from Amelia was cut off by Caelan's squeals of "Gamma!" racing into her arms. Amelia ushered them both inside, making quick introductions. Louise and Mary sized each other up while Amelia and Sam both stood off to the side, away from each other. Caelan ignored both his parents in favor of his grandma.

Amelia excused herself to the bathroom, snagging her cell phone on the way.

"Hello?" Marshall answered the phone. After his morning run produced no clear path on what he should do next, he came back to vigorously attack projects around the house. Abigail had remained gone all day. Marshall was in the middle of digging in the backyard when his phone rang.

"Where are you?" Amelia hissed.

"I'm at home. Is everything okay?"

Amelia huffed. "No. Your mother and your brother are here. Did you know they were coming?"

"No," Marshall told her, genuinely surprised that Sam showed up after their phone call that morning. It must be their mother's influence. She was the only one who could get Sam on that plane.

"Get over here right now."

"I have to grab a shower first."

Amelia huffed again. "Fine. But I won't be responsible for what happens during your delay."


	9. Family Reunion

"Do you want to go see Daddy?" Louise was asking Caelan when Amelia reentered the living room.

"No. Aun-Mar," Caelan told her.

Louise turned so that Caelan couldn't see Mary. "But Daddy came a long way to see you, didn't you, Sam?"

Sam took a step towards his mother as if shaking himself out of a daze. "I sure did. How are you, buddy?"

Caelan shook his head and squirmed in his grandmother's arms. "Mama? Mama!"

"Go see Daddy, Caelan. Go on," Louise urged.

"No!" Caelan screeched. "No-no-no!"

Amelia rushed over and yanked Caelan from Louise's arms, leaving both Louise and Sam stunned. "That's enough." She bounced Caelan up and down, rubbing his back to calm him. "Why are you here? Terrorizing my son?"

Sam glanced at his mother. "Our son."

Amelia glared at him, but said nothing else.

"I'm sorry," Louise said after a few moments. "I wasn't thinking. Of course, Caelan would be weary about seeing his dad after being gone so long. I'm sorry, sweetheart."

"Would you like to sit down, Mrs. Mann?" Mary asked after another few minutes of silence.

Louise smiled at her. "Thank you, dear. That would be lovely." She sat down on the loveseat with Sam while Amelia and Caelan sat on the couch with Mary. "Please, call me Louise."

Mary found herself unable to tear her eyes away from Marshall's mother and brother. They both had Marshall's blue eyes, though Sam's were distant and Louise's were calculating, though not unkind. Marshall had clearly gotten his dark hair from Louise as well as his ability to read people. Mary could tell just by watching Louise that she was taking in everything. Still, it was Sam that really fascinated her. He was nearly the spitting image of Marshall, just a few inches shorter and slightly broader. His face was smoother, not as many laugh lines, and he didn't quite have Marshall's warmth. It was easy to see, though, why Caelan looked so much like Marshall. Caelan truly was the spitting image of his father.

"So, Marshall tells me that you're due in about a month," Louise said to Mary, trying to break up the quiet that had befallen the room.

Mary shifted uncomfortably on the couch, pulling her eyes away from them to concentrate on the floor. "That's right."

"And you're still undecided on whether or not to keep the baby?"

"Louise," Amelia said, sharply at the same time Sam growled, "Mom!"

Mary put her hands up in front of her. It was important for her to have Mrs. Mann's approval, but she was loath to analyze why that may be. "It's okay. My original plan was to place the baby for adoption, yes. That option is still on the table."

"I'm sure that whatever way you choose, it'll be the right thing. Marshall's sure of that."

Mary looked at Louise then at Amelia, shock and confusion written all over her face. Amelia simply smiled at her miserably, already overwhelmed by her mother-in-law.

"Don't be alarmed, dear," Louise told Mary. "My boys tell me everything. They always have. " She ignored the huff that came from Amelia. "Marshall thinks very highly of you. In fact, we didn't think he'd ever find anyone who'd live up to his best friend. But this Abigail seems like a nice girl, I'm sure. What do you think of her?"

"I-" Mary was saved from answering by the front door opening. Marshall walked in, his eyes wide as he studied the intense body language of everyone in the room.

He waved slightly, sensing he was stepping into a minefield. "Hey, everyone."

"Hi, sweetheart!" Louise practically squealed. She rose from the couch to kiss Marshall on the cheek and give him a big hug. She patted his stomach. "You must be eating Amelia's cooking. You're practically skin and bones."

"I'm perfectly within the recommended guidelines for health and weight," Marshall assured her. He turned his attention to his brother. "Sam, it's good to see you. I didn't realize you were coming out here."

Sam shrugged. "Well, I happened to get some time off unexpectedly."

"So, how long are you here for?" Marshall turned his attention back to his mother, ignoring the scowl that had overtaken his brother.

"Sadly, I have to get back tomorrow, my dear boy," Louise told him, her arm still wrapped around his waist. "My plane leaves in the afternoon. Sam is staying for a few days, though. I figured he could bunk with you. I hope you don't mind."

Marshall looked at Mary and Amelia on the couch. Amelia looked irritated while Mary just observed him curiously. "That's not a problem."

"Terrific. Now, why don't you show me the kitchen and I'll see about scrounging up dinner for everyone? That is, if Mary doesn't mind. Do you, dear?"

"Uh, no," Mary agreed, knowing she was unlikely to deny Marshall's mother much. "Feel free to cook away."

"Can I talk to you?" Sam asked Amelia in a low voice. "Privately?"

Amelia turned to Mary, passing Caelan off. "You okay with him?"

"Of course." She watched while Amelia led Sam down the hallway to her room. Mary kissed the top of Caelan's head, pulling him in close to her. "I think we're in for a rough couple of days, kid."

"I'm sorry for showing up out of the blue," Sam apologized as soon as he shut the door. "You know how my mother is when she gets something in her head." He sighed when she just stared at him. "I should have called you."

"Yes, you should have."

Sam sat down on the bed. "Can we please just pretend to get along until my mother's gone?"

"Sure," she agreed with a small sigh. Amelia sat beside him, their knees just touching. "How was your case?"

"We got him." Sam eyed her. "I didn't tell my mom about the... you know."

Amelia rubbed her stomach absently. She tried not to mourn the loss of Sam's fugitive tracking stories that he used to be so excited to tell. "Thanks. I have the sonogram in three weeks. We can tell people after that; your family, anyway. Do you want to be there?"

"I don't know," Sam exhaled. Amelia stood, suddenly, facing off with him. "I don't know if I'll be on another case or what."

Amelia threw her hands up. "Fine. Whatever."

Sam stood also. "You're the one who moved all the way to Albuquerque, not me."

"I'm surprised you even noticed." Amelia wiped away the few errant tears that fell from her eyes. "I'm going to go check on Caelan."

"Amelia," Sam called after her, but she didn't slow. He sat down on the bed once, putting his head in his hands, wondering how to stop his spiraling life.

"How'd it go?" Mary asked Amelia when she returned to the living room. Mary and Caelan were playing with his cars on the couch.

Amelia shook her head as she sat down. "We're not telling her about the baby."

"Good plan." Mary glanced back towards the kitchen where Marshall and Louise were standing at the counter, chopping something. "So, that's Marshall's mom."

"Yep."

Mary grinned. "She doesn't seem to like you too much."

"You are very observant. No wonder you're a US Marshal," Amelia chuckled. "My parents come from money. I know, you wouldn't know it from me. She always thought I was a snob."

"Because of that?"

"That and when we graduated college, he wasn't planning on becoming a marshal. She thought that was my influence; that I didn't approve; that I wanted him to have a job that paid more. Mostly, I'm not the girl she picked out for him so... She loves John's wife, though."

Mary snorted. "She pick her out?"

Amelia nodded. "Even set up their first date."

"Seriously?" Mary's jaw dropped. She focused her gaze on Caelan. "She ever try that with Marshall?"

"I don't think anyone was ever good enough for her Marshall." Amelia smiled to herself as she took in Mary's defeated posture. "I wouldn't worry about it, though. She already likes you."

"She doesn't even know me."

Amelia shook her head. "Marshall talks about you a lot. A lot. And the only time he stopped talking to his mother was over a fight involving you."

Again, Mary's jaw dropped. Her mind raced with possibilities over how she could have caused a fight between Marshall and his mother. He adored his mother. He talked to her every day. She was just his friend. They rarely talked about her. "How? Why?"

"Louise thought you were taking advantage of him and told him so. He told her to mind her own business and didn't call her for over a week. He wouldn't take her calls either." Amelia frowned at the guilty ridden expression on Mary's face. "You didn't do anything wrong, Mary. It was early in your partnership. Marshall decided to stay in Albuquerque with you instead of coming home for Christmas."

Mary thought back to the first year they were partners. Marshall had shown up at her apartment on Christmas day with a bag full of food and another bag of presents. They spent the day sitting on her couch watching action flicks. It was the best Christmas that Mary could remember having and the one that solidified their friendship. Marshall had told her that his family was scattered for Christmas that year and that was why he remained at home. She realized now that he didn't want her to be alone in a new city with no friends or family. He was always taking care of her.

"What are you ladies discussing in here?" Marshall asked, entering the room.

"Nothing much," Amelia replied.

Marshall smiled knowingly at her before turning to Mary. Mary looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Mare? Everything okay?"

Amelia slid quietly off the couch, taking Caelan with her. They moved to the other side of the room. Marshall sat down next Mary, his hands hovering just above her thighs, not touching her, but ready to move if she needed.

"I just-" Mary focused on his hands, her voice low. "You are an amazing friend and I don't tell you that enough."

"What brought this on?" Marshall looked surreptitiously at Amelia, but she was engrossed in Caelan.

Mary shrugged. "Hormones, I guess." She hit him on the shoulder, blinking away her tears. Her face displayed none of the angst it had just a minute ago. "So, what's for dinner?"

"Chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and salad," Louise answered, walking into the living room. "I had to make do with what was in the kitchen. Next time I come out here, I'll make you a proper meal."

"Has Amelia made you her grandmother's spaghetti yet, Mary?" Sam asked, joining them in the living room. He sat down on the floor with Amelia and Caelan. "Nothing beats that spaghetti. No offense, Mom."

Mary watched as Amelia's eyes turned from surprise to glee over the comments. "Yes and it's delicious."

"Well, we all need our signature dish," Louise acknowledged. Louise settled onto the couch as well, regaling Marshall with the latest town gossip. It didn't escape her notice or Marshall's that Mary seemed to hang on every word that Louise said.

"Were you expecting someone?" Marshall asked Mary when the doorbell rang after awhile. Mary shook her and made a face. Unexpected company was never a good thing.

"I am," Louise informed them. "I called Abigail on our way from the airport to make sure she could make it for dinner. Who knows how long it would take for you to bring her around? You always were so secretive about the women you dated."

Marshall jumped up from the couch, mouthing to Mary, "I'm sorry."

Mary gave him a small smile, but her body language remained tense and angry. She reminded herself repeatedly to stay calm while Marshall's mother was here. Besides, Marshall would kill her if she had to go to the hospital again.

"Your mother invited me," Abigail said before Marshall had the opportunity to speak. "She wouldn't take no for an answer and I didn't want to drag her into our issues."

"Thank you," Marshall replied, stiffly.

Abigail sighed. "Look, I'll make some excuse right after dinner; some sort of work emergency." She sighed again when Marshall simply nodded. Abigail pushed past him, plastering a fake smile on her face, though she refused to look anyone directly in the eye. "Hello, everyone!"

"Hello!" Louise answered with the same false tone. "You must be Abigail. It's so nice to finally meet you."

"And you, Mrs. Mann." Abigail's eyes flitted briefly to Mary only to find Mary glaring at her. Abigail quickly turned her attention back to Louise. "How was your flight?"

"Good, good." Louise moved towards the kitchen. "Dinner should be ready soon. Make yourself comfortable. Can I get anyone anything?"

"Vodka," Amelia and Sam muttered at the same time. Sam startled them all by chuckling.

Caelan handed him a small orange car. "Here, Daddy."

"Thank you, buddy," he replied, rigidly, as if he wasn't sure how to respond to his son. He was saved from any more awkwardness by Louise announcing that dinner was ready.

"So, Abigail, tell me," Louise began after serving everyone, "was it your idea or Marshall's to move in together?"

Abigail swallowed. "Uh, Marshall's, actually."

"I see. And have you ever lived with a boyfriend before?"

"Mom," Marshall gnarled.

Louise pointed her fork at him. "Don't whine, Marshall."

"I have lived with someone before," Abigail explained. "It was a few years ago. We dated for about three years, lived together for about half of that."

"Mm-hm. What are your views on children?"

Marshall choked on the sip of water he had been taking. Amelia rubbed her forehead while Mary looked on, amused to Abigail in the hot seat. Sam kept his head down, concentrating on his food even while he rolled his eyes at his mother's antics.

Abigail looked to Marshall for help, but he just grimaced. "I'd like kids some day, I think."

Louise nodded. "You're significantly younger than my boy. May I ask how old you are?"

"I'm thirty-one."

"So, I hear that Alex is considering going to Boston University for school next year," Marshall attempted to interject.

"He'll never venture that far from home," Louise said. Undeterred, she continued, "So, have you thought about settling down soon? I mean, my Marshall is ready to settle down, has been for about, oh, eight years or so. Are you ready for marriage and children? Or are you just looking to play house until something better comes along?"

Amelia slammed her cup on the table, trying to distract Louise from an increasingly distressed Abigail. "I just love that Dr. House! His crankiness really gets me going."

Louise frowned at her. "That's not really appropriate dinner conversation, Amelia. Now, Abigail, as I was saying, do you see yourself having your first child within the next two years or -"

"It's the eyes!" Amelia interrupted, loudly. Caelan giggled at her tone, even as he had no idea what she was talking about. Sam hid a smile behind his napkin while Marshall and Mary exchanged bewildered looks. "I am a sucker for blue eyes. Don't you agree, Mary?"

Mary took pity on Abigail, despite still being angry about the previous night. She knew what it was like to be interrogated by potential in-laws. "Definitely. My favorite color. Did you know-"

"Ladies!" Louise admonished sharply. "I am trying to get to know Abigail."

"No," Mary countered, "you are trying to grill Abigail. If you wanted to get to know her, you'd ask her about her job, her family, her favorite Barbie."

Louise folder her arms as the entire table looked on, stunned. "I'm sorry, Mary, if my questions don't meet your standards. I-"

"Mom, that's enough," Marshall demanded, all traces of humor leaving his face. Louise froze. Her boys almost never went against her, no matter how ridiculous she got. It was the same tone Marshall had when he stopped talking to her over his decision to remain with Mary for Christmas.

"Well," Abigail said, standing from the table. Her face was red and her eyes were bright, "this has been... enlightening, but I really must get back to work. Marshall, I'll see you at home later." With that, she hurriedly left the house.

Louise stood when they heard the front door close. She picked Caelan up from his seat. "Come on, Caelan. Grandma is going to get you cleaned up."

Mary waited until Louise turned on the water in the bathroom before commenting to Marshall, "So, I guess your mom isn't a fan of Dr. House."

Marshall paused a beat before snickering. His snickers soon turned into guffaws, which quickly had the rest of them howling. The mood lifting with the removal of Louise and Abigail. After several minutes, Marshall ran his hands over his face to calm himself down, allowing the others to simmer down. He gazed at Mary, a hint of heat in his eyes. "So, Mare? Blue eyes get you going, huh?"

"Uh, um," she stumbled. Mary picked up a spoonful of mashed potatoes and flung them at Marshall, landing all over his face, setting the laughter off all over again. "Shut up, Marshall."


	10. A Meeting of the Manns

"Mama!" Caelan called out as he ran from the bedroom he and Amelia shared, cleaned and dressed in pajamas. She smiled when she picked up and brought him onto the couch where the party had moved to.

Amelia nuzzled his neck with her nose, making a big sniffing noise to hear him giggle. "Nice, clean little boys – my favorite smell." She looked up at Louise. "How was he?"

"An angel as always," Louise assured her as she sat on the couch. She glanced at Sam. "He definitely didn't inherit that trait from his daddy. It used to take two of us to wrestle you into the bath when you were Caelan's age. Marshall, on the other hand, would have spent half the day in the bathtub if we had let him."

"Perfect Marshall," Sam muttered, drawing sharp looks from Mary, Louise, and Amelia. Marshall looked away, hurt. He would have expected the comment from his father or older brother, but not from Sam. They had all been joking just twenty minutes earlier in the dining room. Marshall couldn't imagine what had changed so fast.

Amelia stood up, bringing Caelan with her. "Okay, buddy, time for bed. Say good night to everyone."

"Night, Gamma. Night, Daddy. Night, Unc' Mars. Night, Aun Mar. Night, baby," Caelan rattled off. He waved to them sleepily over Amelia's shoulder as she took him into their shared room.

"Marshall, sweetheart," Louise said, scooting to the end of the couch. "I'm sorry for the way I treated Abigail. It was unfair of me."

Marshall nodded. "Thank you, Mom, for saying so."

"Mary, I owe you an apology, too," Louise admitted. "This is your house and I should have respected that. I'm just a little protective of my boys and lose all sense of decorum."

"It's fine," Mary told her. She could feel Marshall's eyes on her, but she refused to look at him. As much as she didn't want to analyze her need for Louise to like, she wanted Marshall analyzing it even less. "Mothers are protective of their sons or so I've heard."

Louise patted Mary's knee. "So, tell me about your mother, Mary. What's she like?" She noticed Mary throw Marshall a curious look. "Oh, Marshall doesn't quite tell me everything. That was a slight exaggeration on my part. He's very protective of you. I know your mother's name is Jinx and that your sister's name is Brandi. I know that they lived with you for awhile and I know about Brandi's broken engagement. Not much else."

"You know, Mom," Marshall redirected, "I'm sure Mary doesn't really want to talk about her family. What was it that you were saying about Alex and college?"

Louise shot Marshall an exasperated look, but when she turned back to Mary, she noticed how squeamish Mary seemed. "Oh, it's just that the closer he comes to graduation, the more he talks about applying to schools closer to home."

"He just hasn't mentioned that to me."

"Well, he wouldn't, dear," Louise told him, her voice soothing. "He doesn't want to let his uncle Marshall down. You've encouraged him to spread his wings almost as much as his mother has encouraged him to stay close to home."

Mary frowned as Marshall looked disheartened by this news as if he feared he had pushed his nephew into something he may not have wanted to do. Mary forced herself to turn her gaze from Marshall to Sam, who hadn't said anything since making the crack at Marshall. Sam was chewing on the inside of his cheek. His eyes were pointed in the direction of the bedrooms, but it was clear that he wasn't focused on anything there.

"Caelan's down," Amelia announce, walking back into the living room. "What did I miss?"

"Just some small talk," Louise replied.

Amelia glanced at Mary, noticing the tiredness in her eyes. "Marsh, you should take your mom and Sam to that diner, the one with the really good pie."

"Pie?" Sam repeated, coming back into the conversation.

Marshall stood. "I guess that means yes. I guess we'll be back for lunch."

"Breakfast," Louise corrected. "I want to spend as much time with my grandson as I can."

"See you for breakfast," Mary agreed.

"How's the pie?" Marshall asked his mother and brother around a bite of Banana Creme Pie.

Louise swallowed her bite of apple. "You're right. This is some of the best pie I've ever had. Not quite as good as your grandma's, though."

"Nothing beats Grandma's pie," Marshall and Sam said in unison. They grinned at each other, the previous anger had disappeared.

"Your grandma still has you brainwash," Louise sniffed.

Sam chuckled. "Like you don't have your grandkids thinking the same thing. John's kids refuse to eat anybody else's pie. You nearly had Sarah's mother in tears at Hannah's christening."

Louise put her fork down after a brief glance at her youngest son. "So, Marshall, have you had enough pie to talk?"

"What do you want to know, Mom?" Marshall sighed, wiping his mouth. He pushed his plate forward.

"What is going on with you and Abigail? Even Caelan could tell there was some serious tension going on there. This isn't quite the bubbly relationship you've been going on about on our phone calls."

Marshall rubbed his face with his hands. He was loath to tell them about the disastrous dinner with Stan, but knew he had to tell them something. "Abigail thinks that I've been spending too much time with Mary lately. We had an issue the day that Mary went into the hospital. There were shots fired and I jumped on Mary instead of Abigail. It just seems that since then we're either extremely polite or fighting with each other."

"Do you love her?" Louise asked, pointedly.

"I... do," Marshall replied. He frowned over his response.

Louise leaned forward. "Enough to settle down with her? Enough to marry her? Enough to have children with her? Enough to give up Mary?"

Marshall huffed. He turned his attention from his mother to his brother. Sam was watching him, his eyes amused. "I suppose you have an opinion on this."

"Marsh, there is nothing in this world that you love enough to give up Mary. Oh, you toy around with giving her up like when Mom asked you to interview at that security firm or with this relationship with Abigail, but the center of your world is Mary and has been since the day you became partners."

"Before that," Louise shot back. "The day they met, the way you talked about her, I knew she'd be sticking around."

"Well, I sure didn't," Marshall muttered. "Even now, I'm not sure she'll stick around. I just keep waiting for her to walk out; out of the marshal's service, out of Albuquerque, out of my life."

Sam whispered almost wistfully, "She loves you."

"She's my best friend."

"She loves you," Louise repeated. "She wouldn't have defended your girlfriend to me if she didn't. It's clear that Mary doesn't like Abigail, that she's jealous of your relationship, but she still jumped in to save your girlfriend from a perceived attack."

Sam chuckled. "There was nothing perceived about that, Mom. That was an attack. Not one of your best, by the way."

"No, I think that one will forever remain to the bridal showdown between you and Amelia's mother," Marshall told his mother. "I don't think her mother's every forgiven her for siding with you."

"My one big regret is that we didn't get that on film."

"Oh, you boys," Louise sighed, rolling her eyes. She grabbed each of their hands. "It's been a long time since we've talked like this. I missed it."

Marshall and Sam exchanged grins. "Us, too."

"So, about Abigail..."

Marshall sighed again. It was going to be a long night.

Mary woke the smell of bacon, eggs, and pancakes and the sound of tiny feet. She had been having a dream where she had given birth and everyone was standing around, demanding that she make a decision about the adoption; everyone, but Marshall. He was nowhere to be found and he was the only one she wanted. The dream left her uneasy.

She opened her eyes to see Caelan trying to climb onto the bed. She went to scoop him up only to be stopped by Amelia picking him up and dropping him on the bed. Amelia flopped down next to Mary.

"She's been here for an hour," Amelia moaned. She absently rubbed her stomach. "She's already criticized my cooking, the food I stocked for Caelan, and his clothes."

"Gamma cooking," Caelan informed Mary.

Mary nodded at him, rubbing her eyes. "It smells delicious."

"Frustratingly, it really is," Amelia admitted. She watched as Caelan cuddled close to Mary's chest. He was turning into a breast man just like his daddy. That both warmed and hurt her heart.

"Is Marshall here?"

Amelia smirked. "Not yet, but-"

"Someone say my name?" Marshall asked, popping his head into Mary's bedroom. "Good morning, everyone."

"Come on, Caelan." Amelia stood, gathering Caelan in her arms. "Let's go see if Grandma needs help."

Marshall sat carefully on the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling? You look tired."

"You know how to say the sweetest things." Mary sat up against the headboard. "This kid is laying on some nerve. It keeps me up half the night."

"I can give you a back massage if you'd like. It might help. I've studied the proper techniques for prenatal massages."

Mary narrowed her eyes at him, ignoring the images of his hands roaming her body that her brain provided. "Right. That pregnancy fetish. I'm good."

"If you change your mind..."

"I know who to talk to," Mary replied, her voice carrying a tone of seriousness that surprised them both. She caught his eye a bit longer than she intended. They both snapped to the doorway when the heard a noise.

Sam smiled knowingly at them both. "Breakfast will be ready in five minutes. I wasn't interrupting anything, was I?"

Marshall sighed, glaring at his younger brother. Some things about siblings never changed. He turned back to Mary. "I'll let you get dressed."

Mary entered the dining room a few minutes later, wearing black pants and a purple t-shirt. She took a seat next to Marshall at the table. There was nearly food from one end of the table to the other. "This all looks amazing, Louise."

"Thank you, Mary," Louise replied, blushing slightly. "Everyone, dig in." She waited until all plates were full before speaking again. "It's a shame that Abigail couldn't make it. You said she got called away on a case?"

"That's right," Marshall said, chewing on a bite of pancake. "Sometimes, it seems like she's the only cop in Albuquerque."

Louise frowned slightly at the private smile Mary and Marshall shared. "Amme, dear, have you talked to your mother lately?"

Amelia looked up, bewildered. "Ah, no, not for a few months now."

"I was just thinking about her last night."

"Bridal showdown?" Amelia puffed causing Sam and Marshall to snicker. Off Mary's confused look, she continued to explain the argument that occurred between her mother and mother-in-law just ten minutes before she walked down the aisle. The only thing that prevented a fist fight was the quick actions of Seth, who intercepted his wife's left hook with his cheek.

"The Manns should like quite a crew," Mary commented to Amelia as they sat in lounge chairs outside after breakfast. Sam and Marshall were playing football with Caelan, which consisted mostly of chasing him around the yard. Louise remained inside, cleaning up. She insisted that she needed help from no one.

Amelia nodded. "It's usually best not to get them all together around others. They can handle being together and smaller groups of them can be around other people, but there's something about a large group of Manns and the rest of the world that just doesn't mesh. Even Caelan kicked the knees of some kids at the last family reunion when they were picking on his cousins."

"He's a great kid." Mary let her eyes drift to the yard. Marshall was tossing a small foam football to Caelan, though Caelan wasn't quite catching it, causing Sam and Caelan to laugh like hyenas. Mary unconsciously moved her free hand to her stomach, a move that didn't go unnoticed by Amelia. She was content, however, to wait Mary out.

"Marshall would make a good father," Mary said, quietly.

"He would," Amelia agreed in a flat voice.

Mary paused at her tone, rolling it over in her mind. "You don't think he'll be a father."

Amelia shrugged. "I think he has a small chance of it happening and I think that's a shame."

"He and Abigail-"

"He doesn't want to have a baby with Abigail. He loves her... in a way. But that dream of having a child," Amelia took a deep breath, knowing she about to break a confidence, "has only ever rested with one person. Since he can't have her, he's letting go of that dream. Slowly, but it's going."

Mary swallowed, her heart pounding. "Who does he have that dream with?"

Amelia looked at her pointedly. "We all dance around this, but I know you're not stupid."

"I'm having someone else's baby," she whispered.

"He doesn't care." Amelia shook her head. "He only cares that the baby is yours. He doesn't want to pressure you, but you just have to say the word and he would be anything you wanted to that baby."

Mary lowered her eyes. "Why would he do that?"

"Mama, play!" Caelan called out.

"That's my cue. We'll talk later," Amelia said, flashing Mary a smile. She grabbed the ball to toss to Caelan while Marshall flopped down in her now vacant seat.

"You guys looked like you were have a bit of an intense conversation," Marshall commented, his eyes on Caelan. He tried desperately to keep the curiosity from his voice.

Mary was torn. She wanted to find out if what Amelia had said, had implied, was true, but at the same time she wasn't sure she could go down that path, wasn't sure could handle his answer either way. Instead, she shot him a shrug and a half-smile. "She was telling me some stories about the Mann family get togethers. I might actually have to show up to one of these things."

"You're welcome anytime." Marshall couldn't keep the hope out of his voice. "Amme could sure use the back up."

"Assuming she's invited to future get togethers."

Marshall raised an eyebrow. "She will be. Once you're a Mann, you're a Mann forever."

"You know, she offered to stay here and watch the- you know," Mary waved at her swollen stomach. "That's if I decided to keep him. That doesn't really say a whole lot about their chances." She glanced at Sam and Amelia. Sam was standing off to the side, watching his wife and son play. "Think she'd still be invited if she moves Caelan out here?"

Marshall took a deep breath, taking in everything that Mary had said. "I don't think they're quite hopeless yet. He did show up."

"Because your mother forced him."

"Something... happened to him. If we could just get him to open up and tell us..." Marshall's voice trailed off. "It may not be such a bad thing for them to move, make a change. I'd sure like them to be closer."

Mary paused at the longing in his voice. "You really miss your family, don't you?"

"Sometimes," he agreed.

"Why didn't you ever move back home?" Mary asked him, softly.

Marshall rubbed his jaw. "I thought about it a few years, even contacted a few people about a transfer."

Mary felt her stomach drop to her feet. "What changed your mind?"

"I met an agent named Mary. Turned my whole life around." He shot her a silly grin.

Mary could only meet him with a half smile. "Do you regret it?"

"No," he answered, confidently. "This is where I belong."

"And just what are you two talking about out here?" Louise asked, walking outside. She stood behind Marshall's chair, her hand ruffling his hair.

Marshall grinned at Mary. "Choices... in life."

"Ah, choices," Louise repeated. "Like why is Amelia choosing to hide her pregnancy from me and why you are all going along with it."

"You mad?" Marshall cringed, glancing up at his mother.

Louise shook her head. "I'm sure she has her reasons. I know she thinks I'm hard on her."

"You are hard on her," Marshall interjected.

"We got into a pattern long ago and it seems like neither one of us knows how to break it now." She gave a significant look to Mary and Marshall, making Mary squirm. "Do me a favor, Marshall, and work your magic to get your brother and Amme talking again while he's here. I thought if I was the one person that was on his side, he would open up to me. It didn't work. All I did was manage to alienate my daughter-in-law."

Sam walked over to the group, checking his watch. "We should really get you to the airport, Mom."

Louise sighed, dramatically. "Oh, all right, if we must. Caelan! Come give your grandma a kiss good-bye."

Caelan half-skipped to Louise, throwing his arms around her legs. She swung him into her arms, showering him with kisses. Her eyes were a bit teary when she put him back down.

"It was good to see you, Amelia," Louise told her. She pulled her into a hug. "You are taking wonderful care of Mary and Caelan here. We miss you at home."

"Ah... thanks," Amelia replied, stunned.

Louise turned to Mary next, hugging her despite Mary's stiffened posture. "Mary, dear, it was wonderful to finally meet you. You did not disappoint."

"It was nice to meet you, too," Mary answered, confused.

"Okay, boys," Louise announced, "take me to the airport."

With that Louise was gone, leaving tiny ripples in her wake.


	11. Illuminating Truths

Marshall and Sam returned home from taking Louise to the airport to find Amelia folding laundry in the living room. She barely acknowledged their return other than to begin to aggressively fold the towel in her hand. Marshall glanced at Sam, who was miserably staring at the floor. It appeared that the time for talking had come.

"Um," Marshall drew out, trying to determine his best course of escape.

"Mary's watching television in her room," Amelia told him. "You can go back."

Marshall nodded. He squeezed her arm as he passed. Amelia gave him a small smile before she turned her attention back to Sam. She threw the towel in hands to the couch.

"So, are you ready to tell me why you're really here?"

Sam's head snapped up. "I'm here to see you."

Amelia scoffed. "You haven't seen me for the better part of a year, even as I stood right next to you. Why now? Because your mother had enough? Because your mother told you to?"

"No! I wanted to see you. I wanted to talk."

"So talk." Amelia folded her arms and waited for him speak. He was quiet for a few minutes before she spoke again. "Well, I guess that about says it all."

Sam shook his head. "So, what? You're just going to walk away now? Turn your back on eighteen years together?"

"Me?" Amelia was enraged. "You checked out of this relationship nine months ago!" Amelia heaved a breath, tears forming in her eyes. "I'm sorry that Jack died! I'm sorry that you lost your best friend and partner, but that's not my fault!"

"I never said it was!"

"Then why are you blaming me?" Amelia wiped her eyes. "Why are pushing me away? I have done nothing but try to be there for you and all you've done is turn your back on me. What did I do?"

Sam took a shaky breath. "Nothing. You don't understand."

Amelia threw her hands in the air. "Then explain it to me! Explain how you went from being the best father I know to barely looking at your son! Explain how you went from this amazing husband to a practical stranger. Explain to me how you can't even be my friend anymore."

"I-" Sam stumbled. "You have never been in that situation. I can't explain it to you in any way that would make sense to you."

"You've never even tried! And it's not bad enough that you're ignoring your wife and child, you're dragging your mother and brother into the middle of this!"

Sam took a forward. "It always comes back to perfect Marshall!"

"What does that even mean?" Amelia rubbed her hands over her face, her head throbbing.

"Guys?" Marshall said, walking timidly into the living room. Mary came up behind him, biting her bottom lip. "You're being really loud. You're-"

"Stay out of it, Marshall!" Sam yelled at him. "This is none of your concern!"

Amelia kicked the couch. "Why are you attacking him when you're pissed at me?"

"Are you sleeping with him?" Sam demanded, suddenly, causing Amelia, Mary, and Marshall to all whip their heads towards him. "Is that why you came out here? So you could screw Marshall?"

"I'm not the one who cheated in this marriage! You are!" Amelia screamed back at him. The entire room went quiet.

Sam checked hard. "How did you- When did you-"

Amelia covered her mouth lightly with her hand, fighting the tears in her eyes. "You must really think I'm an idiot. I knew as soon as you came home that night. I could smell her on you. But I was willing to let it go. I was willing to move on! I thought for sure that you had hit rock bottom and things would get better. But you just keep pushing me away, pushing Caelan away, and I'm done. I can't do this anymore!"

"What does that mean?" Sam ordered. "What does that mean?"

Somewhere it entered her consciousness that Caelan was crying, but it she was finding it hard to concentrate. "I want a divorce. I'm not going back to Texas."

"You what?" Sam whispered.

"Mama?" Caelan cried out, running towards Amelia. She picked him up and help him close. He clutched her neck, tears falling.

"I-" Amelia started. She shook her head, her own teardrops clouding her sight. "I got to get out of here. I-" She frantically looked for keys. She grabbed her purse and rushed out the door.

"Whoa! Amme, wait!" Marshall called after her. He pointed a finger at Sam. "You stay here with Mary!"

Sam collapsed on the couch, his hands covering his face. "What did I do?"

Mary sat down beside him. "I'm far from a relationship expert, but I'm pretty sure you just messed up big time."

"Really? Jokes?" Sam asked, lifting his head.

Mary shrugged. She often forgot that not everyone fell back on sarcasm. "Would you like to talk about it?"

"No offense, Mary, but Marshall's never really described you as much of a listener."

"True," she admitted and she wasn't sure why she was trying to get Sam to open to her, but she pushed forward, "but that may be exactly why you should talk to me. If I'm only half-listening, I can't report anything."

Sam let out a single amused huff. "You have a point."

"So, who's Jack?"

"Marshall never told you?" Sam shifted so that he could see Mary shake her head. "Jack was my partner until nine months ago."

Mary breathed out slowly. "How long were you partners?"

"Twelve years."

"So, what happened?" Mary turned on the couch, putting one leg up.

Sam leaned back. He was finding it increasingly easy to talk to Mary. "We had been fighting. He had been offered a promotion, but it required a transfer to another city and I was pissed. We spent three days bickering at each other. We were already taking swipes at each other that morning when we got the call that one of the fugitives we'd been tracking had been spotted. Jack and I led the team to take this guy down, but we were barely communicating by then. He... Jack... shouted a warning at me, but I ignored him. The guy got a shot off, but Jack had rushed me, tackled me. He saved my life, but he took the bullet himself. He was gone by the time I sat up."

"Wow," Mary whistled. She sat there stunned. "Have you told anyone?"

"I told the shrink and it's in the report. I've been cleared by both. The other guys claim that even if I had heard the warning right away, there wasn't time to me to react."

Mary studied his defeated body language. "But you don't believe them."

Sam shook his head. "He was my partner. He was my best friend and I got him killed because I was mad at him. I was mad at him because he wanted to do something better for himself, for his family. Do you have any idea what it feels like to know your own selfishness hurt someone you love like that?"

"I have an idea," Mary admitted. She thought of the time Marshall was shot, of how her own selfishness had never cost him his life, and of how he saved her life. "Why haven't you told Amelia or your mom or Marshall?"

"I can't. I can't bear the thought of them looking at me with disgust in their eyes." Sam looked towards this ceiling. "And before you ask, this is not something I can talk to my father or John about either. They wouldn't understand."

Mary touched his shoulder to bring his focus back to her. "I don't think Amelia would look at you with disgust. She loves you. She just wants to help you. And I know Marshall wouldn't. There's nothing that you could do that he wouldn't forgive you for. Trust me on this."

Sam was quiet for a few minutes, mulling over what she said. "She'll never forgive me."

"For what?"

"For Jack. For the affair. For pushing her away." He paused. "Do you know what it's like to want to push someone away, but be absolutely terrified that they'll go?"

Mary nodded. "That, I definitely have experience in." She shot him a small grin. "You want to protect them from the darkness within you because you know it will consume them, leave them tattered and torn, but at the same time, they represent the only light in your life and you just want to cling to that because maybe if you hold on long enough, some of that light with rub off on you."

Sam took a deep breath. "You've been hanging out with my brother too long, but yes." He grew quiet once again, deciding just how much to tell her. "I didn't intend on having an affair. It just sort of happened. It was just one night."

"So, what happened?"

"Jack was married. He had two kids. His wife, Tammy, clung to me after Jack died. She asked me for help around the house, help with the kids, with paperwork, with everything. I couldn't tell her no, not when I was the one responsible for her situation. It was... about five months ago. She called me in the middle of the night. She was drunk at some bar. I picked her and took her home. We had a few more drinks and she just kept talking about how long it had been since someone touched her. She begged me and at first, I told her no, but she wouldn't let it go and she just kept talking about how I was the only person who understood what she was going through. I regretted it from the second our lips touched, but I did it anyway."

"Why did you do it then?" Mary asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She was finding herself increasingly uncomfortable with how much she was able to identify with Sam and his motivations.

Sam scratched his chin, absently. "I felt the world closing in. Amme wanted to help me so much, but it just made me feel unworthy; unworthy of her, unworthy of her love. I just wanted the world to go away. I wanted to not think, to not feel for just a little while. And I was so sure that if she found out, it would push her away. If it pushed her away, she wouldn't see just how pathetic I really am."

How many times had she done something similar to Marshall when he got too close? Eps? Faber? Mark? How many times had she pushed Marshall away so he wouldn't see just how ugly she really was underneath it all? Done something she thought was unforgivable so he that he would walk away from her? How many times had he forgiven her?

That's ridiculous, she argued with herself. It was none of his business whom she slept with. They weren't together like Amelia and Sam. They weren't a couple, supposedly in love. But if that were true, why was it cheating that she leaned towards to hurt him? And why did she consider it cheating when they weren't together? Mary growled to herself. She had started this conversation to help Amelia and Sam, but all it was doing was bringing up thoughts and emotions that she didn't want to deal with; had never wanted to deal.

"Mary?" Sam called out to her. As she looked at him, she realized that he had been calling her for a bit. "Where'd you go?" Mary shook her head, trying to come up with an answer. "Were you maybe thinking about my brother?" He threw his hands up in surrender when she glared at him. "I'm just saying that if you maybe wanted to talk... Well, it's not like I have anyone to share it with."

"I don't really have anything to say about your brother," she countered.

"So, you're finally ready to that you're in love with my brother and everything you've done the last few years has been in response to trying to flee from those feelings?"

Mary visible flinched at his words causing Sam to grin, feeling a bit more relaxed now that the heat was off of him. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure. That's why you haven't spent the last half hour comparing our situations." He chuckled. "My job depends on my ability to read people just like yours. Plus, I've had Marshall's insight into you for years."

"Okay, Mr. Smarty," she fired back, "you tell me what it is that I feel for your brother."

Sam took a deep breath. "You're in love with him. You have been for a long time. You didn't realize it at first because you've never really been in love with anyone."

"I've been in love. I was engaged. Hell, I was married."

Sam held up a single finger. "You started to realize you had feelings for him when he was shot. You had wiped your hands of your 'boyfriend' until that incident, but all of sudden he's staying at your house because he hurt his knee? Please. You freaked out because you realized somewhere in that brain that if you lost Marshall, you'd lose yourself.

"Marshall is the one that you've confided in. He's the one that you've talked to about your family, about your kidnapping, about your shouting. And, no, he hasn't told us anything that you told him, just that it was him that you confided in and not your 'fiance.' My dad knew within five minutes of meeting you that you loved him. He was the first one to call Marshall a fool for holding out hope until he came to work with the two of you. He told Marshall to keep trying after that. Do you want me to keep going?"

Mary felt tears forming in the back of her eyes and her throat burned, but she wanted to her what Sam had to say. Mary nodded.

"My brother confesses his love for you, albeit in his Marshall way, but there's not way that you didn't know what he was talking about. You've been his best friend for how long? So what do you do? You run off to Mexico with some sleazeball hoping that Marshall's feelings would all disappear."

"He's with Abigail now," she said, quietly, refusing to admit whether or not he was accurate about Marshall's speech, the speech that to this day haunted her dreams.

Sam nodded, slowly. "It wasn't the FBI guy that hurt Marshall. I mean, he wasn't thrilled with that, but it was the fact that he spilled his true feelings to you and you just walked away from him. You didn't bother to talk to him at all before you left on vacation. He thought that was your answer so he tried to move on. Now, he's stuck in this relationship that he doesn't want to be in because he feels guilty that he dragged it out as long as he did simply because he didn't want to be alone. And you, you've had what? Twenty-five years of pregnancy-free sexual relations and the one time you get knocked up is the one time in eight years that Marshall is in a serious relationship? You really expect me to buy that?"

"I-" Mary took a deep breath. "I'm going to take a nap." She rose from the couch as quickly as she was able and made a mad dash towards her room.

"Mary?" Sam stopped her at the living room doorway. "Thank you, for the talk. I appreciate it. And I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable."

"You're welcome," she replied simply before turning away.

Marshall sighed for the third time in five minutes. He stood slightly off to the side of the swing set where Amelia was pushing Caelan. She had been quiet since they got into the car, instructing him to drive around. It was only after Caelan began to get fussy that she spoke again, asking him to drive to the park.

"You ready to talk?" Marshall asked Amelia, stepping up to her. Her shoulders instantly slumped and Marshall jumped in quickly to take over pushing Caelan.

Amelia said down on the next swing, rocking gently. She spoke low. "I don't want to divorce him. I love him. Even now, after everything I love him and I see these glimpses of the Sam that he used to be at like dinner last night."

"But?" he prompted.

"But I keep looking at this from an outsider's view and I look so stupid for staying. He cheated on me. He's treated me like crap for months. Who would want to stay for that?"

Marshall took a step towards her, while still in reach of the swing. "Do you think I'm stupid? Do you think I'm wasting my time?"

Amelia rolled her eyes. "That's completely different."

"You're right. At least, you have a marriage to fight for, a life together. So, I ask again, do you think I'm stupid?"

"No." Amelia gave him a small smile. "I love him. I want to fight for him." She paused. "But things have to change. He has to want to change or there's no point in me fighting for this anymore. This is not how I want my kids raised."

Marshall nodded. "So, give him that ultimatum. Tell him you want to fight for the marriage, that you want to fight for him, but that you cannot keep going in circles."

"Fine, but you have to do the same," she countered. He tilted his head, confused. "Your life is just as much of a mess as mine. You've got to figure things out with Abigail. You've got to figure things out with Mary, even if it ends up that you lose them both."

"What if she doesn't want to be my friend anymore?"

Amelia stood up from the swing. She walked over to him and rubbed his back. "Then you'll find a new way to live, but at least you won't be stuck in limbo anymore. For what it's worth, I don't think you're going to lose her."

"If I haven't mentioned it before," Marshall said, kissing the top of her head, "I'm really glad you came."

"Me, too. What do you say we go grab some Chinese and take it back to the house?"

Marshall frowned. "Do you know that the salt-"

"No, and I don't want to," she cut him off with a grin. She grabbed Caelan from the swing. "Let's go."

Amelia's lighter mood disappeared as they entered Mary's house a little while later, arms full of Chinese food. Sam was sitting on the couch, watching TV. Mary was still in the back room. She shuffled into the kitchen when she heard Marshall's voice.

"How'd it go?" she asked Marshall as she helped him with the food. Caelan played at their feet with his cars.

"She's calmer," he replied. "What about you? Did you and Sam talk at all?"

Mary nodded. "It was very enlightening." She stuck her chin towards the living room where Sam and Amelia were talking quietly.

"I'm sorry," Sam told her, sincerely, "for so many things."

"I'm sorry, too, for dropping the 'divorce' word. I don't want a divorce."

Sam sighed, both in pain and relief. "I couldn't blame you if you did." He closed his eyes briefly. "I'm going home tomorrow afternoon. I think we both need to think about things, but I'm going to be back in a week so we can talk."

Amelia nodded, agreeing to the plan. "I do love you. I want to fight for you, for us."

"I love you, too," Sam choked up, tears in his eyes. He reached out and pulled her into his arms.

"Things have to change," she whispered into his neck.

He nodded, tightening his hold on her. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes not to lose you."

Mary looked at Marshall, his face wistful as he watched his brother and sister-in-law. She could see pain there under his hopeful expression. She placed a hand on his upper arm. "Everything okay?"

Marshall nodded, unconvincingly. "Everything's fine."

"They really love each other," Mary said, again pointing towards Amelia and Sam, who were still locked in an embrace. "You might be right about their chances."

Marshall paused, analyzing the tone of her voice. There was something there that he couldn't quite put his finger on, a mystery he wasn't used to where Mary was concerned. He gazed into her eyes hoping to find a clue, but found her green eyes guarded. He covered her hand with his own.

"I hope so."


	12. Mary Revelations

"What time's your flight tomorrow?" Marshall asked Sam as they walked into the house later that night. Marshall tossed his keys on the front table and his jacket on the chair. He paused briefly over the silence of the house without Oscar around.

"Uh, one o'clock," Sam replied, studying his brother closely. Marshall looked more weary than he could remember him looking for a long time. The last time Sam could remember Marshall looking more tired was after Mary was shot. He and Amelia had come out to spend a few days with Marshall while Mary was still in the hospital. It was their first time away from Caelan and Sam had been a nervous wreck. "Do you think you can take me? I know you have to work, but-"

Marshall waved his hand. "It's not a problem. I have a few days off from work, anyway. I asked for it when you and Mom showed up yesterday."

Sam took a deep breath. "I owe you an apology, Marshall. I've been avoiding you for months and when I finally see you, all I do is pick at you. You didn't do anything to deserve that. I'm sorry."

"I-" Marshall paused. "Thanks. Do you... want to talk about it?"

Sam looked down at the floor and shook his head. "Someday soon. I'm a little talked out today."

"So, you did tell Mary? She mentioned something about the conversation you had being very 'enlightening.'"

"I did. I'm not sure for whom is was more enlightening though," Sam said, mysteriously.

Marshall sighed. "You're really not going to tell me more?"

Sam shook his head again. "I think this one's between me and Mary, but I'll tell you this, Marsh. You did need to get this whole Abigail situation straightened out now because Mary's never been as opened to other possibilities as she is right now."

"What did you say to her?" Marshall asked, alarmed, knowing Mary's penchant for allowing guilt to cloud her decisions. It was guilt that nearly cost Mary her career and freedom when Brandi had all the legal troubles with the FBI. It was guilt that caused her to accept Raph's marriage proposal. And if her was honest with himself, he had used a little guilt to get her to let Amelia and Caelan come out here.

"About you and her? Nothing. I just talked to her about me. She seemed to take something away from that."

Marshall frowned, wondering just what their conversation had entailed. "So, what about you and Amme?"

"I don't know." Sam sat down on the couch. "I love her. I can't imagine my life without her, but I have so much to make up to her. I... don't know if I can be the man she needs me to be; the man she deserves."

Marshall sat down next to him, pat him on the shoulder a few times. "You were once. You just need to find that person again. Therapy is good for that."

Sam scoffed. "Yeah, I can just picture Mom's reaction to that. Dad's, too."

"Well, maybe it's time for you to step outside of Mom and Dad's shadow yourself instead of making Amelia do it all the time." Marshall's mind spun off thinking of his parents' different reactions to the news that Sam was seeing a therapist. His dad wouldn't say much, but he would make his disapproval known through the look in his eyes and the sigh on his lips. His mother, on the other hand, would tell him that he was fine; that it was the rest of the world that had an issue. She would take it almost as a personal affront that he was having a hard enough time that he needed to see a shrink.

"What about you?" Sam asked after a few minutes of silence. He smiled when Marshall looked at him, confused. "What are you going to do about Abigail?"

Marshall frowned. He considered briefly not answering. After all, it wasn't like Sam was being completely open with him. "Amelia said something to me a couple of weeks ago. She said that I wasn't being fair to Abigail by stringing her along if she wasn't my first choice and she's not." Marshall's voice grew rough with that admission. "She's a wonderful woman, honestly. She's kind and funny and caring. In a lot of ways, we're a lot alike. I could settle down with her and I could be... content. But never once has she set my heart on fire the way that just looking at Mary does. Abigail deserves better, especially from me."

"You think you wronged her," Sam stated. "You didn't."

"Didn't I? My heart wasn't free to give to her. It already belonged to someone else." Marshall stared miserably at the blank television screen in front of him.

"So, let her keep the dog."

Marshall froze before swiveling his head to Sam, complete disbelief all over his face. "'Let her keep the dog?' That's your big advice? Wow. You do need therapy."

Sam held his gaze just a few moments longer before he was unable to hold back his laughter any longer. Marshall joined him not longer afterward until tears were streaming down both their faces. They paused for a few minutes before starting all over again. It felt good to be laughing with his little brother again.

Mary sighed for the hundredth time since going to bed as she tried to shift into a comfortable position, but resistance, it seemed, was futile. She frowned when she realized she had gotten that phrase from one of Marshall's dumb sci-fi shows. It amazed her sometimes just how much he crept into her subconscious.

Marshall. He was the reason for her restlessness tonight. He had arrived at the house with Sam that morning subdued. He made breakfast for all of them, but barely ate any of it. Mary was sure that his mood couldn't be attributed solely to his brother's pending departure as Sam was due back in a week or so. She had expected him to come back after taking Sam to the airport, especially since he had time off, but he returned to his own home. Mary's mood deteriorated the rest of the day. She snapped at Jinx, who had stopped by for a visit, for accidentally brushing her stomach. She insulted Amelia's cooking until Amelia was nearly in tears. When she had to physically stop herself from yelling at Caelan for running his toy into her foot, she put herself to bed.

That had been hours ago. She slept for about an hour and a half, but had been fidgeting since then. She heard Amelia put Caelan to bed and then putter about the house. She heard Amelia take a shower and go to bed, all while she lay at the ceiling or the wall. Her brain wanted her to think, but she kept pushing all thoughts away; thoughts about the baby, thoughts about Marshall.

Marshall. It all circled back to him. Every train of thought that she had somehow involved him. He was always there in her head; room renting is what she had called it, but that wasn't a good analogy for the way he infiltrated every part of her. She didn't know how to think properly when he wasn't around and usually made her worst decisions without him: her engagement, her shooting, Mark – all decisions made without him that brought her nothing but pain.

Mary groaned this time, shifting lower on the bed. These thoughts were exactly what she was trying to avoid. She nearly cheered when her phone rang until it occurred to her that anyone calling this late probably didn't have good news.

"Hello?" Mary asked, her voice hoarse.

"Hey, Mare!" Marshall replied, almost cheerfully. It was clear from his slurred words that he had been drinking."

Mary sat up slightly. "What's going on?"

"Did I wake you?" he asked, his voice switching to worry.

Mary yawned. "No, I was up. I couldn't get comfortable."

Marshall sniffed, stunning her with his swooping emotions. "I'm sorry, Mare. I'm so sorry."

"What do you need, Marshall?" She switched topics, hoping to stop his pitfall.

"They," Marshall sighed. "They won't let me drive home."

Mary bit back her frustration. If Marshall was that drunk and calling her, he must have a reason for it. She just had to get to the bottom of it. "Who? Where are you?"

"At MacLaren's. I may have consumed a few alcoholic beverages."

"Marshall, you need to go home. Call your girlfriend to come get you."

Marshall blew into the phone. "Don't have a home. Don't have a girlfriend anymore either."

"What?" Mary's breath caught in her throat as a hundred different emotions crashed down on her.

"Mary, I need you. I don't know what to do."

Mary lay her hand on her chest, her heart breaking over how lost he sounded. "Is there someone there with you?"

"The bartender."

"Have him call you a cab and bring you here. We'll figure this out." Mary swung her legs off the bed to begin the long process of standing up.

Marshall gasped. "You're going to let me come to your house?"

Mary felt her stomach drop over the hope and excitement that filled his voice. Her best friend should never have to have that reaction to simply coming over to her house, especially given the amount of time he had been. "Of course. You are always, always welcome here. I'll see you soon."

"Bye, Mare!" Marshall sang as he hung up the phone.

Mary stood, causing the baby to shift onto her bladder. With a growl, she made her way to the bathroom. She emerged a few minutes later and headed to the spare room currently unoccupied. She pulled a blanket and pillow from the closet and place them on the couch in the living room. She pushed out the coffee table, laying the bottle of aspirin on the end table. Mary made her way to the kitchen where she grabbed a bottle of water and a bucket from under the sink

"Mary?" Amelia called out as she made her way to the kitchen, eyes bleary. "Everything okay?"

"Sorry. Did I wake you?" Mary asked, pausing.

Amelia shrugged. "'S okay. What are you doing?"

Mary didn't hesitate on her way to the living room forcing Amelia to follow her. "Marshall's on his way over. He's been drinking. Apparently, he and Abigail broke up."

"Oh, wow," Amelia whistled. "He actually did it."

"Huh?"

Amelia shook her head. "Do you need my help?"

"I think I got it," Mary assured her.

"Okay. I'm going to head back to bed then. See you in the morning."

Mary continued to fuss with the blanket until she heard a car pull up in front of the house. She had just reached the door when there was a knock the continued until she opened the door.

"What are you doing, nitwit?" she demanded.

Marshall gave her a sloppy grin. "I was practicing the drums on your door. It sounded pretty."

Mary sighed, but found herself grinning. He was leaning against her doorway, swaying slightly, his legs crossed at the ankle. "Come in. I made the couch up for you."

"You did?" Marshall practically bounced into the living room. He spun around and pulled her into his arms. "You're the bestest, Mare." He leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the mouth. "I love you."

"Jesus, Marshall," she said, when she recovered her breath, "what did you drink?"

He tapped his chin. "Um, vodka and nippery slipples and tequila!"

He ended tequila with a cheer and she laughed. "At least, it wasn't whiskey. Strip."

Marshall checked so hard she heard his teeth clank. "Did you just tell me to strip?"

"Would you rather sleep in your clothes?" She raised an eyebrow until he shook his head. "Then strip to your boxers and t-shirt."

"How do you know I wear boxers?" Marshall asked her, taking off his jacket before working on the buttons of his shirt.

Mary grabbed his jacket from the floor and laid it on the love seat. "I know lots about you, Marshall. Besides, how many hotel rooms have we shared over the years?"

"A few." He was hopping out of his jeans now. "But I'm always very careful to keep covered up so I don't make you uncomfortable."

"It wouldn't make me uncomfortable," Mary sighed. "Besides I've seen you in boxers and a t-shirt before."

Marshall flopped on the couch. "When?"

She sat down beside him when it was clear he wasn't laying down quite yet. "The night we celebrated that my offer was accepted for the house."

"Oh. 'The Night.' I didn't think we talked about 'The Night.'"

"What are you talking about?" Mary retorted with false bravado. Inwardly, she cringed, wondering why she couldn't just let it go. He would be passed out soon.

Marshall eyed her suspiciously. The alcohol had dulled his senses and he was having a hard time reading her facial expressions. "Mary, what do you remember about that night?"

"I remember a bottle of whiskey and a game of poker that somehow turned into strip poker," she told him.

"That was all you."

"I remember waking up in the middle of the night on the couch, freezing, and crawling into bed with you." She lowered her eyes, playing absently with her fingers. "I remember you kissing me."

Marshall huffed. "I didn't kiss you. You kissed me."

Mary's eyes flew back to his. "What?"

"We started the night with pizza. Then, you brought out the whiskey and we watched TV. After awhile, you decided you were bored and wanted to play poker. We were a few hands in when you decided that you wanted to play strip poker, except every time you lost and had to remove an article of clothing, you made me remove one, too. You finally decided to quit when I was down to my boxers and you were down to your panties and tank top. You made me go grab you some pajama pants. You stopped me in the hallway and kissed me. You tasted so sweet. So very sweet."

Mary felt her cheeks heat up. The night was slowly coming back to her as he spoke. How had she forgotten that she was the one that kissed him?

"Then, you pulled away from and said..." Marshall's voice trailed off here, not wanting to continue.

"What did I say?" Mary whispered, insistently.

Marshall took a deep breath, preparing himself for an onslaught. "You said that you couldn't give me your heart just yet because it was too broken, but if I hung in there, someday it would be mine. Then, you decided you were sleeping on the couch. A few hours later, you crawled into bed with me and I got to hold you for one wonderful night." Marshall looked away from her to hide the tears in his eyes. "I got up early to make you breakfast because I knew you would be embarrassed and I didn't want to cause you any pain. A few weeks later... Eps happened."

Mary found her own eyes wet with shame and regret. She reached out and touched his knee, bringing his attention back to her. "Marshall, why did you and Abigail break up?"

"Because I'm still waiting on you." Marshall held her gaze intently for several minutes, neither of them speaking. Just as she felt she couldn't breath from the intensity, Marshall leaned back. "I'm going to go to sleep now if that's okay."

"Yeah, you go to sleep. I'll see you in the morning." Mary stood and left the room, feeling both relieved and disappointed. She didn't remember telling Marshall that, but it certainly explained his buoyed emotions in the weeks up to her buying the house and just why he hated Eps with the passion that he did.

She wasn't sure, she thought as she entered the bathroom, that she liked being the cause of Marshall's break-up with Abigail. Mary disliked her; that was a given, but she hated to see Marshall in pain. If she was being completely honest with herself, though, a voice deep in her head shouted as she got into bed, she had been thrilled at what his statement implied.

Mary wondered at that. Her emotions over Marshall were always so confusing so she usually just pushed them away, pushed him away. Yet, he was still there and her emotions were still there. He was her best friend, no doubt. He was the only person she could stand to be around for longer than a day. He was the only person she wanted to share her pain with; the only person she wanted to open up to. He knew when to push her, when to hold back, when to hold her back. He took her teasing, even the hurtful taunts, in stride. He helped her, helped her family, without a second thought, whether it was a ride from the garage or getting Brandi out of murder charges or flying his sister-in-law out here so Mary would have someone to look after her when he couldn't. And he never asked her for anything in return except her friendship in whatever way she was willing to define that.

He loved her. She knew this. She tried to deny it. She did everything she could to make him stop. She went through a string of one night stands after moving to Albuquerque, but that did nothing to quell his adoration. She slept with her witness and he forgave her, didn't bring it up until Eps found himself in trouble again. She tried a long-term boyfriend and then fiance, but it only seemed to make Marshall love her more. She tried vacation with that sleaze Faber, knowing how much Marshall disapproved, and for a minute it seemed to work as Marshall found Abigail, but that just ended up backfiring on Mary as she was now the one terrified of losing Marshall.

Yet, here he was in her living room on her couch after he had broken up with Abigail. And why had he broken up with Abigail? Because he was still waiting on her. More and more, she found herself wanting to take that leap, to reach out and grab Marshall with two both hands and never let him go. She just wasn't sure she was strong enough to take that first step.

Mary was so lost in her own thoughts that she failed to hear the bedroom door open. She jumped when she felt her bed shake as Marshall crawled on it. He laid his head on Mary's swollen stomach, caressing it, gently.

"Marshall, what are you doing?" Mary asked in a hushed voice, her heart beating just a bit faster.

"Ssssh," he told her. "I'm listening to our baby."

Mary opened her eyes the whole way. "You're what?

"I'm listening to our baby," he repeated. Marshall placed a lingering kiss on her stomach. "He's saying 'Good night, Mom and Dad. It's been fun, but I really need my rest. He's just like his mama."

"Marshall," Mary started, but stopped when she heard a light snore from him. Mary began to stroke his hair as she reviewed his words. She knew he was protective of her, of her pregnancy, and of the baby. He had offered to help her with the baby if she decided to keep him, but did he really consider himself to be the baby's father or was that simply drunk talk? And what did that mean if he did mean it?

Mary shook her head. She was tired of thinking tonight. She forced herself to concentrate only the rhythm of her hand through Marshall's hair and the sound of his snores. She was soon drifting off to sleep herself.


	13. The Heartbreak Kid

Mary awoke a few hours later with pressure on her bladder, pain in her back, and lump on her stomach. It took her a few moments in her sleep-filled haze to realize that Marshall was the lump on her stomach. She was surprised to find that she didn't want to move; that she wanted to go back to sleep with Marshall's comforting weight on her. But her bladder absolutely refused to be denied.

Gently, she pushed him to the side and stood. She watched him a for second as he buried his face into her pillow with a delighted sigh, drawing a smile to Mary's face. She stared at herself in the bathroom as she washed her hands. The smile that had appeared on her lips in the bedroom was still there. Mary wasn't sure quite what to make of that. She tried to frown, but found she couldn't. Was it possible that simply being near Marshall, being this open with him could really make her this happy? She rolled her eyes at herself for being sappy, but the smile remained.

Mary returned to her bedroom to find Marshall had slipped under the blanket onto the opposite side of the bed. Her heart sunk a little as she slid into bed, her skin already mourning the loss of him. She rolled her head to face him, but felt tears in the back of her eyes. She cursed her hormones yet again for making her so emotional over something she'd never thought she wanted. Mary turned herself on her side, so that her back was to him, and squeezed her eyes shut.

She nearly jumped when she felt a hand at her back. Marshall had crept over to her, his eyes still shut. He molded around her back, sighing in her ear when she relaxed into him. He took snagged her right hand with his, holding them both against her stomach. Mary felt the baby kick once before he, too, settled. Marshall's light snore lulled her into sleep once again, her last thought as she drifted off was to wonder if she would always sleep this easily with Marshall by her side.

Amelia's whispered yells at Caelan was what woke Mary the next time. Caelan had clearly begun his morning ritual, which included coming to wake up Mary, but his mother was trying to allow them to sleep as long as they could. Mary could hear Caelan whimpering as Amelia carried him back towards the living room. As bad as she felt for Caelan's sadness, she was grateful to Amelia for stopping him from coming in and finding them.

Mary took stock of her position cuddled with Marshall. She wasn't opposed to cuddling per se, but she preferred to do it immediately after sex only. When she rolled away, her body had had enough. Mary never made it more than an hour or so. This morning, however, she was lying on her right side, facing Marshall. His face was pressed up against her chest, his ear directly over her heart. She had one hand in his hair while his free hand was under her shirt, caressing the small of her back. A small moan escaped her lips when Marshall rubbed his face against one of her sensitive nipples.

"Mare?" Marshall mumbled, his voice hoarse. He looked up at her with confusion and fear coloring his bloodshot eyes.

"Caelan, no!" Amelia shouted as the bedroom door burst open and Caelan scrambled to the bed, an amused and terrified look on his face. Amelia froze mid-run, her face growing red at seeing Mary and Marshall cuddled together in the middle of the bed with Caelan trying to desperately to jump onto the bed. She smirked. "So, good night?"

Marshall tore himself away from Mary, holding his head with his hands as a headache threatened to take over. "I have no idea what happened last night."

"That's bullshit," Amelia countered seeing Mary's crestfallen face. Caelan sat down on the floor with a soft "Oh" hearing his mother swear. Amelia's voice was calm, but there was fire in her eyes. She folded her arms. "You always remember everything when you're drunk. You've passed out and remembered conversations that we've had around you."

Marshall glanced at Mary, who was eying him suspiciously. He looked back at Amelia, miserably. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because she," Amelia pointed at Mary, "is thirty-seven weeks tomorrow, making her officially full term and she still doesn't have a game plan for when that baby comes. And a major reason for that is that you keep tiptoeing around each other and she won't make a damn decision!" Amelia hung her head slightly, realizing how harsh her tone was.

"Amelia," Mary started, sitting up against the headboard. She wasn't sure exactly what she was going to say, but she wanted to stop Amme from going any further.

"Look," Amelia interrupted, softly, "I don't know what happened last night, but clearly, it was something big. I mean, you're in bed together and Marshall's trying to claim he doesn't remember last night when he always does so it had to be something that he said or did that he's trying to give you an out for."

Marshall shook his head. "We just slept in-"

Amelia held up her hand to stop him. "I just would hate for you to regret choices that you make today a year from now because you were too scared to reach out and grab onto something. I can tell you what I think you should do, but that means nothing unless it comes from the two of you." Amelia moved over and grabbed Caelan off the floor, who called out for Mary. "We're going to leave for the day. I'll bring dinner back. I'm taking Mary's car and I have your keys and wallet so you're not going anywhere. That means you have all day to talk."

Amelia left the room with Caelan leaving Mary and Marshall alone. They were quiet for a few minutes before Mary spoke up. "You probably want to shower. I have your clothes from the mud incident that I never returned to you. You can wear those." Mary swung her legs over the side of the bed. "There's an extra toothbrush under the sink and some aspirin in the medicine cabinet."

Marshall paused at the bathroom door. "I'll make breakfast while you shower next."

Mary nodded before leaving the room. She found Amelia nearly out the door. Mary stopped her in the doorway. "Was it worth it?"

"What?" Amelia asked her, confused.

"If you and Sam divorce; if he leaves you alone with two kids, was it worth it? Would you do it all again?" Mary was practically begging her for an answer. Her eyes darted from Amelia to Caelan, who smiled widely at her.

Amelia nodded. "Even if it ends with the two of us hating each other, not being able to be in the same room together, I wouldn't change anything of the last twenty years. The love, Mary, was worth it."

Mary nodded before letting her go. Mary stood in the doorway, watching the car until she couldn't see it anymore. As she made her way down the hallway to her room, she passed Marshall dressed in gray sweatpants and a navy blue t-shirt. They both paused, but were too embarrassed to say anything before continuing on their journey.

When Mary emerged, freshly showered and dressed, Marshall was putting the plates of food on the counter. He indicted for Mary to take a seat and sat down beside her. They ate in silence for a few minutes. Mary quietly put her fork down and leaned forward on one elbow.

"Tell me about the break-up," she pleaded, her voice hushed.

Marshall released a long breath. He wiped his mouth with his napkin and pushed his plate away, turning towards her. "Are you sure you want to hear it? You can't un-hear it."

Mary held his gaze steadily as she replied, "Yes."

"It all started when I got home yesterday..."

Marshall returned home to find Abigail's car in the driveway. He sighed to himself as he got out of the truck. He was hoping to have a few hours of alone time to pull thoughts together before having this conversation, but it appeared that fate was not his side.

Warily, he walked into the house. He paused in the doorway as he had over the last days over the lack of Oscar's feet barreling towards him, but for the first time he found that he was glad to not have the distraction. This conversation was long past overdue.

Marshall entered the kitchen to find Abigail sitting at the table, a stack of papers in front of her. She put her pen down when she noticed he was standing in the doorway. Abigail folded her hands tightly when he sat down at the table.

"Your brother spending the day with Amelia?" Abigail asked, almost too politely.

Marshall shook his head. "He flew home for a few days, said he had to take care of some things."

"So, I guess that means you're free to have 'the talk.'"

"Abigail-"

"No!" she cut him off forcefully. "It's my turn to talk. I've been quiet for too long." Abigail rubbed her eyes. "You know, I'd heard the rumors about you and Mary, that you were in love with her, followed her around like some love sick puppy, but I gave you the benefit of the doubt. You told me, over and over, that she was just your best friend and that people misconstrued your relationship." She slammed her hand on the table. "It was a lie!"

Marshall folded his hands tightly in front of his face. He felt a ball of anger deep in his gut over how Abigail was describing him, but he knew she had the right to her fury so he focused on remaining calm. He felt it was the least he owed her. "She is just my best friend. That wasn't a lie."

"She's only just your best friend because she hasn't admitted to wanting more. She just has to snap her fingers and you'd go running. Do you have any idea what it's been like living that way for the last few months?" She paused, waiting for Marshall to respond. She sighed when he didn't even flinch. "I feel used. I never thought you of all people would use people this way."

"I never meant for that to happen. I never meant to use you."

"Well, you did," she huffed, pain now intermingling with anger in her eyes. "Was I ever more than a than just a warm body, a placeholder for Mary?"

Marshall's eyes grew wide. "Of course, you were!" He balled his hand into a fist. "You came along when there was nothing but darkness in my life. You were this beautiful beacon when I was lost at sea. You are funny and sweet and don't you dare reduce our relationship too nothing!"

"It is nothing!" Abigail's cheeks were flushed with anger. "It was always nothing to you. I was just a way to get back at Mary for going away with that FBI guy!" She laughed mirthlessly at the surprise on Marshall's face. "Oh, yeah. I know about that, too. You never would have looked twice at me if she hadn't been on vacation when we first met."

The mention of Faber was the end for Marshall. He wanted out; out of this relationship; out of this house before he exploded. Drawing strength all the way from his toes, he replied, calmly, "Abigail, I loved you I still love you, in a way. I'm just..."

"Not in love me," Abigail finished. "At least, not the way you're in love with Mary. Everything boils down to Mary. She's not even a decent person!"

Marshall stood abruptly from the table, knocking the chair to floor with a loud thud. "That's enough! You don't know anything about Mary! I get that you're pissed, but be mad at me and leave my partner the hell out of it!"

"You two deserve each other," Abigail spat out. "I hope I never have to lay eyes on either one of you after today."

"I'm pretty sure that can be arranged," Marshall retorted. He flinched when he saw a tear form in her eye. This was getting them nowhere. He picked up the chair and sat back down. Taking three deep breaths, he whispered, "I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

Abigail's eyes hardened even more with fury. "I hope someday I'll actually believe that. Today's not it." Her voice was completely cold.

Marshall froze, realizing that anything he said now would sound hollow. He hoped that she would believe him when he said he loved her in his way. He prayed that she would find the love that she deserved because she did deserve it. He knew, however, that she would throw any of this back in his face. Instead, he fell back on logistics.

"So, how do you want to do this? There's still ten months left on the lease."

Abigail rolled her eyes, recognizing his distant, professional voice. "I want to keep the house."

"That sounds fair," Marshall answered. He put his forearms on the table. "I think you should keep Oscar, too, assuming you want to. He adores you."

"Wait," Mary interrupted his story. "You gave away my dog?"

Marshall narrowed his eyes at her in disbelief. "It didn't seem right to take him. Besides, he stopped being your dog when you gave him to us."

Mary waved him off. "Did you not just say that she's getting the house?"

"... She is."

Mary threw her hands up. "Marshall!"

Marshall mimicked her actions. "Would you let me finish?"

"Only because Mary gave up on him."

Marshall felt his fist ball up again, but he let the comment pass, knowing she baiting him for round two. He stared at her, waiting for her answer.

"Yeah, I'm keeping Oscar." Her voice no longer sounded as angry as defeat crept in. Finally realizing he was no longer going to fight with her, her shoulders were hunched and her gaze was once again on the table. "How long do you think it will take you to get your stuff out?"

"Three days?" Marshall offered, wanting to untangle their lives as quickly as possible, but knowing he still had to make arrangements on finding a new place to live.

Abigail nodded curtly. She stood. "I'm going to stay with Kelly for a few days. Please leave the key when you're done."

"Abigail," Marshall called out, stopping her in the doorway. "For what it's worth, I am really sorry. I really thought I could spend the rest of my life with you."

Abigail spoke without turning. "Do yourself and the rest of the world a favor: figure this out with Mary before either one of you hurts another person like you've hurt me."

"And that's it. She walked out. I went to the bar and now, I have to find a place to live and get my stuff out in the next three days," Marshall finished up. He looked at Mary expectantly, but she hid from his eyes, focusing on his plate of uneaten food.

"You know," Mary responded, slowly, "you could just stay here for awhile... until you get on your feet, that is. There's still a free bedroom. Of course, you'll have to buy a bed for it and if Brandi comes back you're on your own fighting her for it."

Marshall reached out and squeezed her hand. "Thanks, Mary. I appreciate it."

Mary felt her cheeks heat up at Marshall's touch. She slowly removed her hand from his. "It's no big deal. I was thinking of starting up a bed and breakfast for your wayward family anyway."

Marshall chuckled at that. He watched as Mary stood, gathering her plate. Realizing she was indicating an end to the conversation, he reached out suddenly and grabbed her wrist. "That's all you have to say about my break-up?"

"I told you I was sorry about it last night." Mary quivered slightly at the feel of his fingers around her wrist.

"Technically, you didn't," Marshall countered. "I don't think you're really sorry at all."

Mary shrugged. "Maybe not. Are you admitting that you remember last night?"

Marshall stood in front of her, his hand still on her wrist. He used his other hand to tip her chin upward to face him. "I remember every word. I think it's past time that we talk, don't you?"

Mary nodded, though part of her brain screamed at her to run away. No, she was done running. She was done hiding. She was done pushing all those feelings about Marshall away. She was done pushing him away. It was time to figure this thing out one way or another.

Mary took a deep breath, placing her plate on the counter. She grabbed Marshall's hand and tugged him towards the living room. "It's time."


	14. PS I Love You

"I'm pretty sure that if Amme comes home and finds out that we haven't talked, she'll kick both our asses," Marshall commented after they'd been sitting there quietly for a few minutes.

Mary glared at him from her end of the couch, even as she conceded, "She just may. She's pretty bossy, your sister-in-law."

"Well?" he prompted after another few moments of silence.

"In case you hadn't noticed, Marshall, talking openly about my feelings isn't exactly my strong suit."

Marshall smirked. "Does that mean you're admitting to having feelings?"

"Jesus. Jump right in, why don't ya?" Mary huffed. She avoided his gaze for awhile longer before sliding her eyes back to his. Her heart was tightening in her chest and she needed to find a way to get the pressure off of her. "Let's start with last night. Amelia said you'd remember everything. Do you?"

It was Marshall's turn to avoid her stare. He should have known she would do whatever she could to avoid her end of the conversation. It was time for him to step up. "Yes."

Mary felt something unfold in her heart, warming her. She had to ask the question that plagued her. "Did you mean everything you said last night?"

"Yes," Marshall breathed out, his heart pounding in his chest.

"I'm the reason that you broke up with Abigail?"

Marshall shook his head, surprised by her question. More avoiding, he sighed internally. "No. I'm the reason that I broke up with Abigail. You don't get to take that on as much as I know you want to."

She squinted in confusion. "Why would I want to?"

"Because it's what you do. You'll take it on so that you can feel guilty and use that as an excuse to push me away. I'm not letting you this time. I broke up with Abigail because I am not in love with her and it was cruel of me to let her believe that we had a future together when we didn't. That's all me and has nothing to do with you," he told her emphatically. "Got that? Got that?"

"Okay," she agreed, raising her hands in surrender. He was correct; she was already beginning to formulate his break up with Abigail as a reason to stop this conversation. She took a deep breath, needing to press on, even as a part of her brain screamed at her to stop. Her eyes were firmly fixed on the floor. "And you're still waiting on me?"

He was quiet, forcing her to look at him. His eyes had shifted to a deep blue and he stared at her with an intensity that made her shiver. When he spoke, his voice took on a slightly husky tone. "Mary, I will always wait on you. If it takes the rest of our lives, if it takes beyond that, I will always wait on you... until you tell me not to and mean it."

Mary's heart pounded in her chest as she broke his gaze once again. "But... you... dated the TA... and you moved in with Abigail..."

"And there have been others here and there, but except for Abby, they've all been nothing flings and distractions." He sighed. "Abigail was my attempt to move on from you; from the idea of us," he ignored her sudden intake of breath, "but it didn't work. It'll never work."

"Why?" she whispered.

Marshall scooted closer to her and grabbed her hands. "Because I love you, Mary. I love you and I am in love with you. There is nobody in this world for me besides you." He paused. "I know you see yourself as someone who's broken, who doesn't deserve love, who just uses the world and gives nothing back. But nothing could be further from the the truth. You are strong, for yourself, for your family, for your witnesses, for me. You could have easily used your childhood to go nowhere in life, but instead you brought yourself up and dragged your mother and sister with you. You put yourself through school. You got yourself into the Marshal Service. You are amazing and wonderful and funny and have an ass that won't quit." She snorted at this and rolled her eyes. "Do you want me to go on?"

She shook her head as her breathing became heavy as Marshall's words washed over her. She closed her eyes to think and released his hands, relieving memories of Marshall in her head; of how she opened up to him so quickly on that first transfer; of how she felt safe, protected, and excited around him during that trip, three things she rarely felt, especially in one person. It shocked her so much that when he suggested sticking around, she uprooted her entire life to partner with him. She thought about the night that she kissed him and even though she had forgotten, she could remember feeling unsettled around Marshall. She thought of Eps, Raph, Faber, Mark, and all the nameless men that drifted in and out of her life.

She thought about her fear that Marshall was leaving before he was shot and how that drove her back into a relationship with Raph, even when Marshall agreed to stay. She thought about her acceptance of Raph's proposal, of how her first thought when she kissed him was of Marshall. She thought of the dread she felt when he noticed the tan line on her finger, the overwhelming when she told him she told Raph about WitSec, the fluttering when he gave her engagement speech, and the despair when he said he was going on a date the night she was shot.

She thought about how her first thought when she woke up from her coma was that she wanted to see Marshall; how she calmly sat through her family's visits each day because she had his evening visits to look forward to. She thought about how he was the only one she wanted to take her home, even as she made cracks to cover that up. She thought about how after five minutes of being at home, a remodeled home she knew Marshall had decorated, even though no one would fess up, she wanted to be alone... with Marshall, always with Marshall.

She thought about all the ways that they grew both closer and further apart that year as she struggled with the intense emotions around her shooting, keeping them all bottle up to herself. She thought about how she wanted to keep Marshall close to her and how that terrified her so she kept pushing him away. She thought about the speech in the office that sent her running into the arms of the one man she thought he wouldn't forgive her for. Yet, he did.

She thought about her year since her vacation. She had curled into herself more than she thought was possible. She knew that everyone around her blamed it on the fact that she no longer needed to take care of Jinx and Brandi as she had before, but that wasn't quite right. Her mother and sister had been steadily taking care of themselves for a few years and she hadn't panicked over it. It wasn't until she learned that Marshall was dating the cheerleader that she found herself spiraling. Her sleeping with Mark was a direct result of seeing how happy Marshall was with her. The day she found out they were moving in together, she went home and sobbed all night.

She thought about her mother's words after she had been kidnapped: "You don't have to open up to the whole world. You just have to open up with someone." She thought of Treena's words on the day she got married: "Maybe you should allow yourself the possibility of something greater." She thought of Amelia from just this morning: "The love, Mary, was worth it" and of Marshall's speeches, " I hope you know that I love you. And I wish for you nothing but a lifetime of happiness" and " Someone who challenges you. Who calls you on your BS and gets in your face and makes you think."

She thought about how she would feel if Marshall had married Abigail. She thought about him marrying anyone and felt a sharp pain in her chest. She thought about him having children and the pain grew stronger. She knew he would keep her in his life with everything he could just as sure as she knew she could push and push until she finally had to run away, shriveled up within herself, miserable for the rest of her life. Then, she allowed herself to imagine a life with Marshall.

"Mare? Mary?" Marshall called to her. She had been sitting unnaturally still for the past few minutes and it was beginning to scare him. He placed his hand on her knee and gasped when her eyes flew open. They were full of tears. "Mary?"

Mary flung her arms around him as fast as she could in her condition. She pulled at his neck until they were as close as they could be. Marshall wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back as she settled into him, breathing in his scent. Marshall felt his entire body come alive as he held her while she cried softly.

She pulled away from his shoulder suddenly, but remained in his arms. Her hands moved up from his neck to cradle his face. She licked her lips, unconsciously glancing at his before returning to look into his blue orbs so full of concern, curiosity, and love. She took a moment to bask in his warmth, drawing strength from him.

Mary ran her fingers once across his brow, down his checks to his lips. She could feel him trembling. "You... are the absolutely best thing about my life and I love you. I love you and I am in love with you. I think I have been for awhile and never let myself know it. I-"

She was cut off by Marshall forcefully pressing his lips to hers. She gasped at the suddenness of it and he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, sweeping his tongue into her mouth. She was unprepared for the jolt of electricity that she received the first time he hesitantly stroked his tongue against hers. The groan deep in her throat seemed to spur him on and soon he left no area of her mouth unexplored.

Mary clutched at his shoulders, trying to bring him closer to her. He tasted of syrup and coffee with the hint of something she could only identify as Marshall. She drank him in as if he was the only water in the desert. Her hands slipped under his t-shirt, leaving a trail of fire as they slowly made their way up his stomach and over his chest.

"Mary," he muttered against her lips. She smiled briefly before nipping his bottom lip with her teeth. He kissed her again before putting his hands on her shoulders and pushing her away, gently. "Mary, we still need to talk."

"Haven't we done enough talking today?" she pouted, looking up at him through her eyelashes. He took in her swollen lips and flushed cheeks and found himself reaching her once again. Their mouths met with mutual moans. He plunged his tongue into her mouth intending to stake his claim, only to have her suck on tongue until he bucked wildly.

She fisted her hands into his hair while his hands slipped under her shirt and up back. She used his head as leverage to straddle his knees. He broke the kiss to move his lips across her jaw. He placed a kiss just below her ear. He nipped her earlobe when she shivered before suckling the spot behind her ear until she cried out.

Mary pulled his mouth back to hers. She breathed in sharply in pain just as his lips grazed hers, calling out, "Ouch!"

Marshall froze. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she assured him. "The rugrat just got in a good kick. Now, where were we?"

"M-Mary!" Marshall nearly shouted, pulling her away over her protests. "Are you sure that you're okay?"

She sighed, annoyed. "Yes, I'm sure. The kid just doesn't want me having any fun."

"Or he's reminding us that we need to slow down. We can't go much further anyway. You're still on bed rest."

"Spoilsport," she grumbled, but removed herself from his lap. She remained close enough to touch him, however.

"You know, this little guy," Marshall flexed his fingers just above her stomach as if afraid to touch her, "is one of the things we need to talk about."

Mary sighed. "Haven't I made enough life-changing decisions today? Can't we push this one off until tomorrow?"

"Have you made a life-changing decision?" Marshall asked, softly. She didn't like the way his eyes flitted nervously away from her.

She grabbed his cheeks with her hands, drawing his attention solely to her. "This... telling you I love you; that I only want to be with you is completely life-changing to me. I keep seeing all these possible futures in my head and the only ones that scare me are the ones that you're not in. My heart belongs to you. It's never belonged to anyone. Somehow, you snuck in and stole it without me noticing. You have the singular power to destroy-"

Marshall grabbed her hands from his face and cur her off for the second time with a quick kiss. He held her hands tight in his own. "You're stuck with me. I'm not going anywhere."

"Even if we never get married?" He nodded, his heart aching over her disbelieving tone. "Even if there are no kids?" Again, he nodded. "Even if I do everything I possibly can to push you away?"

"Haven't you been trying to do that for years? I'm still here."

I'm still here. It echoed in her head, circling over and over until it drilled into her heart. She had learned a long time ago not to trust anything a man said to her that she didn't lure him into saying. She found herself believing Marshall. He was the exception, always the exception.

She interlink her fingers with his. "I want you stay. I don't just mean that I want to be with you. I want you to stay here. I want to start our life together right now."

"You don't want to... ease into it?" he cautioned.

"Ease into it? Ease into what? What could we possibly learn about each other 'dating' that we don't already know about each other?" She smiled as he shrugged in agreement, but he still had a look of trepidation in his eyes. "Look, I'll understand if you're a little nervous about this. I'm a little nervous about it myself. I'm not as clueless as everyone thinks. I know this isn't my normal M.O."

Marshall squeezed her hands. "One of the things that I love most about you is that what you truly believe in something, you go after it with full force. If you're willing to do that, you must believe in us."

Mary released a long breath. "I think I'm making myself sick. This is more sap than those rom-coms you make me watch."

"If it'll make you feel better, you can punch me," he chuckled. He called out in mock pain when she hit him in the shoulder, "Ow!"

"You're right that did make me feel better." She smirked at his wounded looked. She looked away from him. "Anyway, the offer to stay at least until you get on your feet, figure out what you're going to do next, stands."

Marshall laid his hand on her cheek, waiting until she looked at him. He leaned down and place a sweet kiss on her lips. He pulled back just far enough to see her eyes. "Thank you."

Mary ducked her head to hide her heated cheeks. "Well, Geek Boy, what do you say we pick out a few movies and relax on the couch? I don't know about you, but my brain could use a break." She smiled seductively at him. "Unless you want to continue that make-out session?"

"As much as I would love to continue, a day of sitting on the couch with you watching movies sounds wonderful." He placed a series of kisses down her jaw that had her mumbling incoherently. "Besides, I don't think you're quite up for what that session was heading into. In two months, however..."

"Tease!" she accused him when he abruptly stood up. She couldn't stop the ends of her lips from twisting upward though as he shook his backside while putting a movie into the dvd player. He gathered her in his arms as he sat back down. He placed a kiss on her temple, breathing in her scent.

Marshall grinned when she settled into him, pulling his hand onto her stomach. He felt a slight movement under his palm. Mary's child. His child, too, he had told her last night. He hadn't wanted to get attached, first out of fear that she would get back together with Mark and then because of her plan to give the baby up for adoption, but he had done it anyway. How could he not love any part of Mary, though?

"I can hear you thinking," Mary admonished. "Sit back and watch the movie, Marshall. We'll talk more tomorrow."

"Okay," he agreed, kissing her head once again before turning his attention to the movie. He had Mary in his arms and she loved him. That was enough.

IPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPS

Amelia walked hesitantly into the house with Caelan at her feet and pizza boxes in her hands. She paused in front of the open door, listening for any yelling. Mary raised her head from the couch when she didn't hear any further noise from Amelia.

"Get in here, you idiot," Mary berated, sitting up.

Amelia rolled her eyes, but fully entered the house. She put the pizzas in the kitchen while Caelan ran to Mary. Amelia returned to the living room and sat on the coffee table, watching while Mary stroked Caelan's hair, listening to him babble about his day.

"So, where's Marshall?" Amelia dropped, casually.

Mary smirked at her. "He and Stan had to take care of a situation. They were going get his car and stop at the house afterward to grab a few things."

"Soooooo?" Amelia frowned when Mary laughed at her. "Come on, Mary. I've been dying all day."

"We talked."

Amme huffed in annoyance. "And?"

Mary half-shrugged. "Feelings may have been admitted."

"Mary, I swear, if you do not tell me what happened, pregnant or not, I will hit you upside the head." Amelia glared at her and folded her arms.

"No hit, Mama," Caelan spoke up.

Mary tickled him, making him giggle. "That's right. No hit, Mama."

"Mary," Amelia growled.

"Okay, okay," Mary placated. "I love him. He loves me. We love each other. Let's move on."

Amme snorted. "Move on? Move on? Hel-heck no! I want details. I deserve details."

Mary nodded in agreement before launching into the story of their conversation this morning. Her face grew increasingly red as she talked and a soft smile lay upon her lips. Amelia followed her with rapt attention. Even Caelan said nothing as Mary spoke, enraptured by Mary's voice.

"Marshall's going to stay here for awhile. You know, until he gets a new place," Mary finished.

"Uh-huh. Interested in taking a bet on when he moves out?"

Mary rolled her eyes. "If you must know, I offered to let him just move in permanently, but he kind of freaked out about it."

Amelia leaned forward to touch Mary's arm. "I'm sure he didn't freak out. He's afraid of spooking you. He wants to give you time to adjust to this new thing between you. He'll drag his feet moving out, though, unless you tell him to go."

Mary took in Amelia's words. Part of her screamed out that Amelia didn't know what was going on in Marshall's head, but another part of her told her self-doubts to shove it. If there was one thing in this world she knew, that she believe in, it was Marshall. She would hold onto to that even if she had to fight herself every step of the way.

"I know," Mary agreed, finally. "Anyway, what kind of pizza did you bring?"

"Not so fast, missy. Did you talk about the, you know?" Amelia threw her hands in the area of Mary's stomach.

Mary sighed. "It's the topic of conversation for tomorrow. I didn't want to overload my emotional maturity."

Amelia shook her head as she stood, picking Caelan up from the couch. "Come on. Let's go pig out on pizza and watch mindless movies until Marshall gets home."

Mary grinned widely at the idea of Marshall coming home. "Sounds perfect."


	15. Building a Nursery

Mary woke up with ever present pressure on her bladder. She found herself lying on her back, but against Marshall instead of the bed. His arms were wrapped tightly around her, one hand palming her breast. She felt safe, comfortable in his arms, and she was hesitant to leave. Mary thought back to the previous evening as she shifted to relieve some of the pressure on her bladder.

Amelia had begged off early, claiming that she was tired after a long day dragging Caelan around Albuquerque. Mary was certain that she was simply trying to give the two of them some alone, but she couldn't deny that Amelia looked exhausted. After Amelia was tucked into her room, Mary and Marshall settled onto the couch. Mary laid against his side, her hand on his shoulder. Marshall wrapped his arm around her, running his hand up and down her arm. He settled on a program discussing Mayan prophecies, expecting Mary to snatch the remote, only to find her sigh contently and snuggle closer to him.

Mary found herself falling fast asleep as the program dragged on, lulled by the warmth of Marshall's body heat and the sweet spicy aroma of him. Just as her dreams were starting to roll in, Marshall stood up, bringing her up with him. He prodded her down the hall, threatening to carry her if she didn't move. She remembered muttering some type of retort that had him chuckling, but she wasn't sure what that was. Marshall tucked her into bed before starting to move away.

She shot her hand out to grab his arm. "You're staying, right?"

"Yeah," Marshall told her after a brief hesitation. She could tell by his tone that he hadn't wanted to presume that he was invited. "I'm just going to get changed. I'll be right back."

She was nearly asleep when Marshall returned to bed. He slipped in as softly as he could so he didn't disturb her. He moved close to her, enough for her to feel his body heat, but not actually touching her. Mary wait a beat before reaching behind her and pulling his hand over her stomach. Marshall curled around her, placing a wet kiss on her neck. She smiled as she felt him grin, allowing sleep to claim her.

Mary slid back into bed, after her bladder finally convinced her that she had to get up and she used the bathroom. As she once again settled against him, she thought about how easily they had fallen into a domesticity. It both confused and thrilled her.

"Morning," Marshall whispered in her ear, drawing her from her thoughts, the stubble from his chin rubbing against her cheek.

"Hey," she replied. Mary turned her head to look at him, gasping at the intensity in his blue eyes. Mary lifted her lips to his, letting them linger softly. She pulled away just enough to see him smile lazily at her.

Marshall kissed her forehead. "I have to say that of all the different ways to wake up in the morning, this is definitely," he kissed her left cheek, "definitely," he kissed her right cheek, "my favorite."

Mary moaned deep in her throat when Marshall finally captured her lips with his, feeling a shock all the way to her toes when their tongues touched. He gathered her in his arms, pulling her as tight as her stomach would allow. He rolled her onto her back, never breaking their kiss. Mary felt her entire body begin to heat as his hands wandered over her body.

"Caelan, no!" Amelia called out from the hallway, but neither Mary nor Marshall paid any attention. "Darn it, Caelan! Mama is getting too big to chase you!" She groaned when Caelan flung the bedroom door open, causing Mary and Marshall to spring apart.

"Aun-Mar!" Caelan squeaked.

Amelia snatched Caelan from the middle of the room, barely sparing a glance at the bed. "I'm so sorry."

With that, Amelia rushed a crying Caelan out of the room. Mary and Marshall looked at each other and began to laugh. Mary sobered suddenly, leaving Marshall confused.

"What's wrong?" he asked, checking her over.

"You better get used to that," she told him, propping herself up on her elbows.

"Used to wha..." Marshall's voice trailed off as understanding flooded him. He grabbed her arms to pull her back to him. "Really?" His eyes searched hers wildly. When she nodded a single time, he crashed his lips over hers once more, kissing her until her lips were red and swollen and she was heaving for air.

Mary wiped away a tear that had fallen. "So, I guess you're willing to get used to that."

Marshall laid his palm on her neck, rubbing his thumb over her cheek. He took a deep breath before speaking. "I meant what I said yesterday. Whether there are kids or not, I'm not going anywhere. I am thrilled more than I can express that you're keeping this little one, but I don't want you to do it just for me."

"I'm not." Mary shook her head. "He's a part of me. I love him. I didn't think I would. I thought, back in the beginning, that I could let him go and my life would go back to the way it was, but it won't, and what I've realized is that I don't want it to." Mary ducked her head. "I'm starting to realize that our family isn't as scary an idea as it used to be."

"No. It's not scary at all," Marshall told her. "It may not be perfect, but it's ours."

Mary closed her eyes as Marshall leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead. She glanced at him before once again looking away. "Have you thought about what role you want to play in... his... life?"

"Honestly?" Marshall said, hesitantly. "I just assumed that you would tell me what role you want me to play."

Mary frowned as she sat up, leaning against the headboard. "Well, what if I'm asking?"

Marshall also sat up. "Are you asking?" He sighed when waved her hands in frustration. "Mary, there is nothing that I would love more than to be the father of your children, any of your children. I told you the other night that I consider him 'our baby.' I would be tickled if you let me be his father."

"But?"

"But if I'm going to be his father, then I'm going to be his father, which means I have an equal say in how we raise him. So, the question is, can you handle that?"

Mary huffed and folded her arms. "Of course. I wouldn't have asked what you wanted otherwise."

Marshall let out a soft sigh, unconvinced, but responded, "Okay."

"Now, where were we?" Mary pulled Marshall back to her, aggressively attacking his mouth to drive away any thoughts of Marshall's doubts from her own head. She pulled back after a few minutes when she heard tiny sobs outside her bedroom door.

"I can't believe I'm being thrown over for my two-year-old nephew," Marshall grumbled, but his eyes were sparkling as he rose out of bed. Marshall open the door to find Caelan sitting on floor, crying. He jumped up when he saw Marshall and ran to Mary.

Mary attempted to reach down to Caelan, but found herself unable. She looked to Marshall. "A little help here?"

Marshall picked Caelan up and dumped him on the bed. He got ready for the day all the while keeping an eye on Mary and Caelan as they cuddled together, playing some sort of clapping game and singing songs. He wandered into the kitchen to see if he could help Amelia.

"So, my son finally got into the room, huh?" Amelia asked as Marshall entered. She was flipping french toast in a pan.

"Yeah. It appears that he stole my girl." Marshall chuckled nervously when Amelia stared at him. "What?"

She smiled. "You called Mary your girl and not in the 'that's my girl' kind of way."

Marshall waved her off, his face heating up. "Need any help?"

"I'm good. So, what are your plans today?"

"I have to pack up my stuff," he replied with a slight frown. "Stan offered to help and I have a few friends that owe me favors. Most of my stuff's in storage so it shouldn't take long."

Amelia nodded. "And it's back to work tomorrow?"

"Yep."

"Mary has a doctor's appointment tomorrow," she dropped casually.

Marshall grinned to himself as he pulled out plates. "Is that your subtle way of asking if we've talked about the baby yet?"

Amelia rolled her eyes. "Duh."

"We have," Marshall assured her, but his eyes grew dark, "to a certain degree."

"Well?"

Marshall hesitated. "I think Mary should be the one to tell you."

Amelia paused after she turned off the stove. "Did you or did you not have a conversation in which you decided whether or not she was keeping the baby and in effect, whether or not, you are keeping the baby."

"It was more that she told me what she decided, but yes, that conversation did occur," Marshall admitted.

"Then tell me what the outcome of the conversation that you both were involved in was." Amelia huffed in irritation when Marshall continued to stall. "Mary!"

Mary shouted from her bedroom, "What?"

Amelia turned from Marshall to face the hallway so she could yell to Mary more easily. "What did you decide?

"About the rugrat?"

"Yep!"

Mary chuckled. "He's staying!"

Amelia broke into a huge smile. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks!"

Amelia turned back to see Marshall staring at her, his mouth hanging open. She gave him a small shrug as though this was a normal occurrence. She started to say more, but was stopped when Mary shouted, "Hey, Amme? Do me a favor and tell Jinx!"

"You got it!" Amelia agreed. She rubbed Marshall's back, amused. "Why don't you go get your girl and my son? Breakfast is ready."

"Mama! Mama!" Caelan called out, running down the hall to kitchen. He held his hands out to her so she could put in his seat.

Mary waddled down the hall next with Marshall hovering close behind her. "So, what's with the big breakfast? Normally, you're shoving a fruit bowl and some yogurt at me."

"Because, today," Amelia responded as she sat at the table, "you are officially thirty-seven weeks, which means that you have made it to full term. I thought we should celebrate."

"Works for me. I get bacon," Mary replied, taking a large bite of bacon.

Marshall chewed thoughtfully on his french toast while Mary and Amelia smirked at each over his unusual quietness. "You know," he said slowly, "we should probably make a list of what we need before the baby comes. I could start picking up some things tonight."

"You? There is no way that I'm leaving the decisions all up to you. You'll come home with Star Trak wallpaper and a Buddhist chant sound machine."

"I will not." Marshall frowned. "I was thinking of a Noah's Ark theme."

Mary snorted. "Noah's Ark? Seriously?"

Marshall took a deep breath. "What about teddy bears? Or cars?"

"Guys," Amelia tried to interrupt, but was ignored.

"Bears? Cars? Are you kidding me? No. My kid is not falling under of those stereotypical cutesy themes."

Marshall put his fork down. "Then what do you suggest?"

Mary also put her fork down. "Famous marshals throughout history."

"Mary, you cannot put that type of pressure on this child before he can even talk. Trust me. I know a little something about this," Marshall argued.

"Yeah, yeah. Daddy issues. I know. There is absolutely no way you are picking something cutesy. We'll just have to see what they have at the damn store," Mary sighed.

Marshall pushed his plate away from him. "You're still on bed rest. You can't go traipsing around a store. Just give me a list of what you don't want and I'll go from there."

Mary rolled her eyes. "If you think I'm going to hand over any of the decisions on my child-"

"I thought he was 'our' child," Marshall cut her off.

"Of course, he's our child, but-"

Amelia appeared suddenly with a laptop in her hand. She set it between the two of them with a loud sigh. "As I was trying to say earlier, you can order everything online and pick it up at the store. That way you can both decide what to get."

"Oh. That makes sense," Mary told her. "Thanks."

"Yeah, thanks, Amelia," Marshall echoed, but his voice wavered slightly.

Amelia nodded, "I know you didn't ask for my opinion, but since you don't know for sure that the rugrat is a boy, you might want to keep things neutral. Everyone gets wrapped up in themes; we had an elaborate jungle theme for Caelan that ended up half destroyed before he was eight months old. Just keep to the basics and remember that anything else can get picked up later."

"You are a wise, wise woman," Marshall said, standing up and placing a kiss on her forehead. "I'll clear the dishes and we can look at baby stuff. I'm not meeting everyone for a few hours."

"Okay," Mary agreed, frowning as he turned away. She could feel the tension rolling off of him, but she wasn't sure where it was coming from. She had agreed to keep the baby; she thought that would make him happy. He was definitely ecstatic when she first told him, but something had changed between then and now. She just didn't know what that was.

Marshall returned to the table, shaking Mary from her thoughts. "What do you say we start with a crib?"

"Sounds good." Mary forced herself to focus on the screen in front of them and away from any other thoughts."

"Hey," Marshall said, casually, walking into the house late in the afternoon. He found only Amelia in the living room, watching television.

"Hey, yourself," she said, turning off the TV and walking towards him. "You're home earlier than I expected. How'd the move go?"

Marshall shrugged. "My stuff's all gone. I left my key." He fiddled with the keys in his hand. "I didn't make it to the store, though. Stan said he'd help me tomorrow at lunch."

Amelia nodded. "Did you tell Stan then?"

"Yep. He's actually very supportive – wanted to know what took us so long." Marshall glanced around the room. "So, where is everyone?"

"Napping. They should be up in a half hour or so, which gives us time to talk." Amelia looked at him pointedly until he finally agreed. She sat down on one end of the couch and waited for him to sit on the other. "What was with the sad this morning?"

Marshall sighed. "I just... I was excited when Mary told me she was keeping him. Then, she asked me what role I wanted to play in his life – she actually asked me. I told her that I wanted to be his father and she agreed."

Amelia turned her head to the side. "I don't understand what the problem is then."

"I'm not sure if it's what she really wants or if it's what she thinks I want. And I'm not sure she knows how to do an equal partnership when it comes to parenting. I mean, you saw her this morning. She's already started with the 'my child.' You heard her this morning. I can't be a fsather in name only, no matter how much I love them both." Marshall's eyes fell to the floor after his admission.

"Yeah, but I also saw the two of you sit down and compromise on a nursery – I love that green, by the way. She came around with a little coaxing," Amelia countered.

Marshall nodded in agreement. "She did. I just... I don't know."

Amelia scooted close enough to lay her hand on his arm. "It's moving really fast and it doesn't seem real?"

"Something like that," he muttered.

"Do you love her?" she asked.

Marshall huffed, "You know I do."

Amelia's face remained serious. "Do you believe that she loves you?"

"Yes." He did believe that, had always believed it on some level. It helped to explain why she continuously pushed him away over the years.

"Then, hold onto that and don't back down. She's going to fight you tooth and nail trying to keep her independence, but she'll come around. You just have to remember that you love her and she loves you."

Marshall put his hand on hers and squeezed. "You always know just what to say to make me feel better."

"I also know what to say to drive you up a wall," she joked.

"The perfect younger sister."

Amelia snickered. "Come on. Let's go unpack your stuff." She jumped off the couch, grabbing his arm to force him up, too. "I talked to Sam today. He's coming back two days from now; says he has some big news to share."

Marshall followed her out the door. "He didn't give you even a little hint?"

"Nope. My powers of persuasion must not be what they used to," she said with a fake pout.

"Oh, trust me, Amme," Marshall assured her, pulling out a light bag and handing it to her. "Your powers of persuasion are very much what they've always been."

She laughed the entire time they unloaded the car.


	16. Beginning of the End

"So, how did it go?" Amelia asked Mary as she waddled out to the doctor's lobby. She and Caelan were sitting on chairs waiting for her.

"Poked, prodded, and abused," Mary muttered, making her way out the door with Amelia and Caelan on her heels. "Same as always."

Amelia chuckled, thinking over her last few weeks of her pregnancy with Caelan. "Any progress?"

Mary sighed as they walked out the door of the building. "Two centimeters. But according to Marshall, that doesn't mean much of anything at all."

"You talked to Marshall already?" Amelia buckled Caelan into the car seat. He grinned at her, his head swaying to music she couldn't hear.

"I had him on the phone the entire visit." Mary rolled her eyes as she buckled her seat belt. "Look, I felt bad that he couldn't be here today. Let's not make a big deal out of it. Anyway, he said that I could walk around two centimeters dilated for weeks."

Amelia nodded as she started the car. "That's true. I walked around two centimeters dilated for over a month with Caelan. Sarah, on the other, was told that she was two centimeters dilated at her last appointment and had Justin, her youngest, two days later."

Mary ran her hand over her forehead. "So, it's basically a giant crapshoot."

"Pretty much." Amelia ran her hand over her stomach, feeling the baby kick as she had in just the last few days. "Did they mention anything about your bed rest."

"She said that I wasn't strictly on bed rest anymore, but that I still had to take it easy. She wants me to call the minute I feel labor pains." Mary sighed. "She's still worried about the placenta."

"Don't worry," Amelia assured her. "Everything's going to fine. You made it this far. We'll just keep an eye out for those labor signs. Now, what do you say we head to the store to meet Marshall and Stan since you're no longer on strict bed rest?"

Mary paused, debating the pros and cons of seeing Stan since the change in her relationship status with Marshall. She was almost afraid of this reaction, even as she knew in her head that Stan would be happy for them and had given his blessing to Marshall the previous day. Still, Marshall liked to sugarcoat this for her and this time might be no exception.

She sighed. Her desire to know Stan's true feelings were too great to hide. "Let's go."

Stan and Marshall were waiting outside of the store with wide grins when Amelia and Mary pulled. Amelia let her out at the front of the store before heading off to find a parking spot. Mary look nervously between Marshall and Stan.

"So, Inspector," Stan started, his tone serious.

"Stan, look-" Mary interrupted.

Stan threw his hands up in front of him. "I just have to say this: you have won Delia a lot of money."

Mary did a double-take. "I what?"

"It seems that she bet that not only would you keep the baby, but that you and Marshall would get together before the little one was here." Stan rocked on his eyes, tickled over the situation. He hesitated briefly before pulling her into a hug. He whispered into her ear, "I'm very happy for you, Mary."

"Thanks," Mary replied, annoyed at herself for tearing up over Stan's approval. She wiped the corners of her eyes with her knuckle. She felt Marshall's hand on her lower back.

Stan took a step back. "And don't worry. I've already taken care of things with the powers that be."

Marshall shot a confused look to Mary. "H-how?"

"I'll explain another time." He nearly laughed aloud at their faces. "Don't worry about it. Now, how are you feeling, Mary?"

"You know, it's funny," Mary replied as Amelia and Caelan joined them. Caelan scrambled into Marshall's waiting arms, "I actually like I can breath better today."

Marshall and Stan both studied her stomach, which appeared to have dropped. Mary put her hands over her stomach as if to hide it from their view. "Harder to walk, though, so, if you wouldn't mind us getting started..."

"Of course!" Marshall did a little hop that made Caelan giggle before leading the group inside.

"Have you had any nauseous?" Amelia muttered to Mary as the entered the store.

She nodded. "A little. Why?"

Amelia shook her head with a little smirk. "No reason. Let's get shopping."

"I can't believe that you told that sales lady that we were both Stan's wives and that Marshall was his oldest son," Mary told Amelia. She was sitting on the rocking chair that had been delivered that afternoon, pulling tags off of the few gender neutral clothes they were able to find. Amme insisted that all the clothing had to be washed before the baby wore them.

Amelia shrugged as she stacked diapers on the bottom shelf of the changing table. "She was rude and not listening to anything anyone had to say. Until I told her that story, anyway."

"I thought Marshall was going to die of embarrassment right there." Mary's eyes sparkled as recalled Marshall's beet red face and stuttering to assure the sales woman that he was, in fact, not married to both of them.

"Your boss seemed to enjoy it."

Mary cringed. "A little too much. Do you think-"

Mary was interrupted by the front door opening and closing. She groaned when she heard Jinx call out, "Hello? Sweetpea? Are you here?"

"In here, Jinx!" Amelia called out, chuckling when Mary rolled her eyes.

"Oh, Mary!" Jinx exclaimed, walking into the room. She carried several bags. "I can't tell you how excited I am to be a grandma! Oh, I love what you did with this room! Oh, I can't believe that you and Marshall are finally together!"

Mary squinted, tipping her head sideways. "Finally?"

Jinx shot a look at Amelia, who was unable to hide her snickers. "Oh, please. I knew the first time you talked about him over the phone that you were falling for him."

"But," Mary started, but her voice trailed off. She glanced at Amelia, but Amelia only shrugged and shook her head slightly. Mary bit the inside of her mouth. Over the years, she had become skilled at knowing when Jinx was lying and this was not one of those times. Was it possible that her subconscious had betrayed her all those years ago?

"You don't have to look so surprised, darling," Jinx told her, placing the bags on the floor. "No matter what, I am still your mother. Whether you want to believe it or not, I do know you pretty well."

"But you encouraged me with Raph... with Mark, even," Mary protested.

Jinx stroked Mary's hair. "You don't think I learned a long time ago that you're going to do the opposite of what I say when it comes to your personal life?" She took a good look at the room. "You really did a wonderful job with this room, especially in such a short time."

Mary also looked around the room. There was a crib and a dresser in light wood that matched the rocking chair and changing table. A few soft decorations hung on the walls, all jungle animals, which was the only theme that she and Marshall could agree on. The theme made Amelia laugh as it was similar to the one that she and Sam picked out for Caelan. The crib set, however, was a light green. They both kept Amelia's voice in the back of their heads that said they didn't really know the sex of the baby.

"This was pretty much all Marshall and Stan. They took a few hours off this afternoon to put everything together," Mary told her, marveling over how easily she had given credit to them.

"Did I hear my name?" Marshall asked, popping his head into the bedroom.

Jinx spun around, a large smile on her face. "Marshall, dear, it's so wonderful to see you."

"You, too," he replied, his voice strangled as Jinx hugged him tightly. He looked to Mary, his eyes wide in confusion, but she could only roll hers.

"Welcome to the family." Jinx reached up and kissed his cheek, causing Marshall to blush.

Amelia groaned as she lifted herself from the floor, feeling all too pregnant already at seventeen weeks. It was true what they said about second pregnancies showing faster than the first. "Come on, Jinx. Help me make dinner?"

Jinx nodded, the smile still not fading from her face as she led Amelia out the door. "Where is that darling boy of yours, anyway? He's not napping, is he?"

"No. He's actually at a play date with the kids next door. I need to pick him up in about fifteen minutes," Amelia explained, following her out.

"I'm really going to miss her when she's gone," Mary commented when Jinx and Amelia were out of earshot. "She knows exactly how to handle my mother."

Marshall made a grunt of agreement as he took in the work that Mary and Amelia had done on the room. "This room looks great. You guys really did a lot of work this afternoon."

"Marshall?"

"Yeah?" He stopped his pacing to look at her.

Mary took a deep breath. "Kiss me." Marshall's eyes narrowed and he tilted his head slightly to the left. She raised her eyebrows. "I'm not getting any younger here."

Marshall grinned at her sass before leaning down to capture her lips. He licked his lips as he pulled away from her to taste her on him. "I wasn't sure that you'd want me to with your mom here."

"You better kiss me every time you walk through that door," Mary told him, surprising even herself with the demand.

"Yes, ma'am!" He gave her a mock salute. He became concerned when he saw her grimace. "You okay?"

She nodded, rubbing her neck. "I think I've been sitting too long. My back's really bothering me."

Marshall helped her to stand. He stood behind her, kneading her lower back. He put his chin over her shoulder so he could whisper in her ear. "How does that feel? Any better?"

"A bit," she replied breathlessly, a shiver running down her spine.

"You know," Marshall told her, a touch of huskiness in his voice, "if your mother wasn't here, I'd take you to bed and ravish you."

Mary bit her bottom lip as he nipped her earlobe. "You mean, if I was as big as a house."

Marshall ran his tongue along her neck, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. "You're not and even if you were, I wouldn't let that stop me." He wrapped his arms around her waist, linking her fingers with his own. "I want you."

"I want you, too." Her voice was barely audible as if she was afraid this moment would disappear if she spoke up.

"Sex is one of the ways to induce labor," Marshall offered.

Mary turned in his arms, looping her hands around his neck. "And I have been cleared from bed rest."

Marshall kissed her forcefully, not caring who else was in the house as his overwhelming need to touch her possessed him. He threaded both of his hands into her golden hair. He thrust his tongue in and out of her mouth just as he wished to in bed. Marshall broke away from her when he heard her gasp for breath. He moved his lips over jaw and down her neck, suckling in spots as he went causing Mary to grasp his shoulders roughly.

"I love you," Mary croaked as Marshall brushed his hand over her sensitive breast. "We're going to make this work, right?"

Marshall pulled away from her so he could look into her face. "Now that I have you; now that you've let yourself be mine, nothing is going to tear us apart. Nothing."

She gave him a small smile when he used is thumb to wipe away her tear. "You may have to keep telling me that."

"Forever."

Forever. Mary repeated that in her head and found that, for once, it didn't scare her. She would need Marshall to tell her that over and over so that she didn't forget it, but she didn't want to run from it as she so often had in the past. Mary pulled his head down to hers only to be interrupted as their lips.

"Mary, honey," Jinx bellowed, traipsing down the hall, "where's your- Oh!"

Jinx stopped suddenly in the doorway. Her eyes widened, taking in Mary and Marshall in each other's arms, their bodies pressed as close as possible. Both of their lips where swollen and Jinx could just make out a red spot on Mary's neck.

"Ah, never mind." Jinx slowly backed out of the room. "We'll figure it out."

"We're never going to live that one down, are we?" Marshall asked, chuckling in Mary's ear.

Mary kissed the underside of his jaw. "Probably not, but after the things I've had to put up with..." Mary's voice trailed off as she grimaced.

Marshall turned her around and began to knead her back once again. "How's your back?"

"Still hurts," Mary sighed, miserably.

"You should try walking," Amelia suggesting, popping her head inside the room. "It should help a bit. I'm going to grab Caelan from next door meaning I'm leaving your mom alone in the kitchen for a few minutes."

"Oh, hell no," Mary replied. She pushed Marshall's shoulder. "Get in there and supervise."

"What are you doing up?" Mary asked Amelia as she waddled into the kitchen later that evening.

Amelia held up a chocolate chip cookie. "Midnight snack. The munchkin demanded it."

"I was wondering if it had anything to do with Sam's return visit tomorrow."

"I'm sure that isn't helping." She looked Mary up and down. "Can I get you something to eat? You didn't eat much at dinner and what you did eat you threw back up."

Mary shook her head, making a face. She had kept the food down for all of ten minutes before racing as fast as she could to the bathroom. She hadn't felt that sick since the beginning of her pregnancy. "I'm not really hungry. My stomach's still unsettled."

"Is that why you're up?" Amelia asked as she bit her bottom lip.

"No," Mary replied, rubbing her back. "My back's bothering me. I can't seem to get comfortable."

Amelia took a sip of her milk. "Does your stomach feel like it's tightening?" Mary nodded, stunned that Amelia knew that. "Is it regular?"

Mary shook her head. "It doesn't seem to be. Why?"

"You should really get some sleep; as much as you can," Amelia replied.

Mary growled in frustration. "Why are you being so cryptic today? You and Jinx both."

Amelia cringed. "Mary, I'm pretty sure you're in labor."

"What?" Mary shook her head vehemently. "No, you're wrong. This is nothing like what I felt before."

"It wouldn't. This is normal labor, not what you experienced before." Amelia stood as Mary's face scrunched up in pain. "Just breathe through it. There's a good chance that it'll take awhile, especially if you're not having regular pains."

Mary leaned over the counter, putting her hands over her face. "I'm not ready for this. I only decided two days ago to keep the kid. I need more time. Marshall and I are still figuring out this whole relationship. I-"

Amme pulled Mary's hands down from her face. "Mary! Relax! It could be days before the baby actually gets here."

"That's suppose to reassure me?" Mary spat back.

Amelia shrugged. "I don't know. Just... calm down. Go get as much sleep as you can. You're going to need the rest. Everything will work out."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I trust you and I trust Marshall." Amelia stood, squeezing Mary's hand. "You two are pretty unstoppable. I'm going to bed. You should go yourself."

Mary nodded, wordlessly. She remained in the kitchen until she heard the door to Amelia's room close. Mary slowly walked to her own room and slid into bed, her heart pounding in her chest. Marshall curled instinctively around her, placing a hand over her stomach.

"Everything okay?" he asked, burying his face into her neck.

"Amme-" Mary croaked. "Amme thinks I'm in labor."

Marshall shot up, his eyes wide. "What?"

Mary bit the inside of her lip to stop from laughing at his reaction, part of her relieved that he was as nervous as she was over the whole thing. "Don't worry. It's early. My contractions aren't regular."

"Not everyone's contractions end up regular," Marshall countered, his brain indexing all he knew about labor and delivery.

"They're not close together and they're not strong. Amelia says we should get as much rest as we can."

Marshall nodded, trusting his sister-in-law. He lay back down, pulling Mary into his arms. "How are you feeling?"

"How are you?"

"Scared. Excited. Nervous. Thrilled," Marshall admitted, knowing he had to tell her his emotions before she would share hers. "I can't believe we're going to be parents so soon."

Mary sighed. "Me either."

He kissed the back of her neck. "We can do this, Mare. It's going to be hard and I know we're still trying to figure this relationship out, but I don't think there's anything that the two of us can't do if we do it together."

"When you say that, I actually believe it," Mary admitted quietly. She smiled when Marshall hugged her. "I'm sorry that I've been making things difficult when it comes to decisions about the baby. I do want you to be his father; to have an equal say."

"I know."

"Just... don't be afraid to confront me when I'm being a bully. I'm not going anywhere." She turned to look over her shoulder. "I promise."

Marshall reached down to kiss her. "I love you." He paused. "I can't wait to hold our baby."

Mary smiled, a wave of calm washing over her. "Me either."


	17. Baby Love

"Are you ready to admit it yet?"

Mary stopped her pacing to glare at Amelia before continuing her trek around the living room. She had her hands on her back and a scowl on her face as she had for the better part of an hour. Amelia glanced at Marshall and rolled her eyes. He was quick to cover his guffaw with a cough. Even Caelan sighed as his eyes followed Mary from his position on the floor.

"I'm fine. I just ate some bad fruit," Mary told them when she paused. She threw an accusing finger at Amelia. "It's your fault that I ate the fruit in the first place."

"Caelan and I ate the fruit, too, and we seem to be doing fine," Amelia shot back.

Mary resumed her march. "Now that I think about it, it's your fault, Marshall. If you hadn't brought her here, then she wouldn't have given me the fruit that is making me sick today."

Marshall tried to hide his grin as he replied, "By that logic, if you hadn't gotten knocked up then I wouldn't have had a reason to bring her here and she wouldn't have given you the fruit that isn't making you sick."

"Really? I'm about to become the mother of your child and you're throwing that in my face?" She pinned him with a piercing look when a goofy expression appeared on Marshall's face.

"So, Caelan, do you think Aunt Mary is ready to admit she's in labor?" Amelia asked Caelan while keeping her eyes on Mary.

Caelan tilted his head to the side. "Aun-Mar, labor?"

Amelia nodded. "That's right. Your aunt Mary is in labor, but she doesn't want to admit it."

"Oh Jesus!" Mary exclaimed. She tightly gripped the back of the couch so much that her knuckles were white. "Okay, maybe we should call Dr. Mulgrew and let her know that my labor's started."

"I already did that hours ago," Marshall told her, tossing Amelia a single nod. Amelia stood and swiftly left the room. "It's time to go to the hospital."

Mary shook her head. "I only just started labor."

Marshall walked over to her, kissing her forehead. "Everything's going to be okay."

"Okay," Mary breathed out. She closed her eyes and let his words wash over her. She was still scared, but a seed of calm planted itself deep in her chest. Marshall loved her, wanted only the best for her, so if he told her that it was time to go to the hospital, she knew he was right. "I have to pack a bag."

"Amelia already did," Marshall assured her. Amelia returned carrying Mary's overnight bag, Caelan's diaper bag, and a small shoulder cooler. Marshall held Mary around the waist. "What do you say we go to the hospital now?"

Mary nodded, her head slightly in a daze. She allowed Marshall to lead her out of the house, balking only when she reached the car. "We have to call my mother."

"We will," Amelia told her as she buckled Caelan into his seat, "after you get to the hospital. It'll give you time to settle."

"Okay," she agreed for a second time. Her eyes flickered to Marshall. He gave her a reassuring smile. She glanced in the backseat as Marshall helped her into the car. "Oh, look. You already put the car seat into the car."

Marshall glanced at it, too, as he got into his seat. "Yeah, I wanted to make sure that it was in there properly. I did it yesterday."

Mary nodded. "You're going to be a good father." She looked at the house. "It's strange to think that this is the last time we're going to be leaving the house as not parents."

"Ah, Marshall?" Amelia said as Mary grabbed onto the dashboard as another contraction hit. Marshall was staring at the house, lost in his own thoughts. "You might want to go."

"Huh? Oh, right!" He quickly turned on the car and rushed towards the hospital.

Mary turned her body partially around so that she could see Amelia. "I imagine that you guys were cool, calm, and collected when Caelan was born. I mean, you seem pretty together now."

Amelia barked out a laugh. "Hardly. I actually punched Sam in the jaw when he suggested it was time to go to the hospital and left me behind twice: once at the house and once in the parking lot."

"So, we're doing pretty good then, huh?" Mary asked, with just a hint of seriousness in her tone.

"You're doing great."

Mary nodded, facing forward, seemingly bolstered by that. She remained quiet as they reached the hospital and checked her in. She sat in the wheelchair waiting to go in with a look of stark horror on her face. Marshall's face was paling by the minute.

"Just remember to listen to Marshall and you'll be fine," Amelia told Mary.

Mary grabbed her hand, squeezing hard. "You're not coming in?"

Amelia shook her head. "Someone has to stay out here with Caelan. Don't worry. I'll check on you in a bit." Impulsively, Amelia kissed the top of Mary's head. "You'll be amazing."

"You'll send Jinx in when she gets here? And let me know if Mom gets here before the big moment?" Marshall asked. He pulled Amelia into a hug when she nodded. Amelia patted his arm, letting him know that it was okay for him to be nervous. "We'll see you in a bit."

"You kids have fun," Amelia called after them as they disappeared through a set of doors. Amelia grabbed Caelan's hand and the remaining bags, heading for the waiting room. She settled Caelan on the floor with some of his cars before calling Jinx, who screeched so loud that Amelia was afraid she would lose hearing in one ear, and Sam, who didn't pick up his phone. She left him a voicemail letting him know that they were at the hospital.

Jinx burst into the waiting room nearly thirty minutes later. "Oh, Amelia! Can you believe it? My baby's going to have a baby! Oh, where are they? Have they come out and said anything? I want to go back there. I should go back there. I'm her mother. I'm sure she doesn't want me back there."

"Jinx!" Amelia said, forcefully. "She does want you back there. In fact, she asked me to send you back there when you got here. But you need to take a deep breath before you do. If you go back there all riled up, you'll rile her up and she needs to stay calm."

"You're right." Jinx took a deep breath. "Tell me what's happened so far."

Amelia led Jinx to the couch. She watched as Caelan toddled over to Jinx and demanded to be picked up before speaking. "Marshall called Mary's doctor this morning to let her know that Mary's labor started. She told us to monitor her until her contractions were six or seven minutes apart before bringing her in."

Amelia continued to feed Jinx the day's activities. Jinx rocked Caelan, putting him to sleep as she listened with rapt attention to Amelia's story. By the time Amelia was done talking, Caelan was deep in slumber and Jinx was decidedly more composed.

"It's hard to believe," Jinx said after a few minutes of silence.

"What's that?" Amelia asked, rubbing her belly as the baby began to kick.

Jinx sighed. "That Mary has it all in her grasp." Jinx stroked Caelan's hair as her eyes took on a faraway look. "She has the chance to be happy, really happy. It's all I wanted for her. Each time I moved the girls, found a new boyfriend, I was trying to improve our lives. Unfortunately, I don't have the best track record with knowing who or what would help, not harm us."

Amelia patted her hand. "The important thing is that she is happy now." She smiled when Jinx grinned and nodded. "You should probably go ahead and get in there now."

"I should," Jinx agreed. She laid Caelan on the couch and stood. "Oh, I need to know the room number and it looks as if the nurse stepped away from the desk."

"It's room 423," Marshall said from behind her, startling Jinx.

Jinx turned around and hugged Marshall tight. "Marshall, dear! How's Mary? How are you? Are you excited? You're going to be a dad soon!"

Amelia put a hand on Jinx's shoulder as Marshall's face paled. "Deep breaths, Jinx."

"Right." She took a few breaths. "How's our girl?"

"She's doing okay," Marshall replied. "She's already made one nurse cry. They're examining her to see how she's progressing so she sent me out here to find you." He held up a white card. "You'll need this to get through the doors. They let up to three people back there at a time."

Marshall watched wearily as Jinx bounced down the hallway. He glanced at the clock on the wall. "We've already been here over an hour?"

Amelia nodded. "It's a lot different on the other side of the doors. How are you holding up?"

"I don't like seeing her in this type of pain," Marshall admitted. "There's nothing I can do to help her."

"You can hold her hand, rub her back, talk to her. It helped me that Sam was there, even when he was wringing his hands about cluelessly," Amelia told him. "Trust me. There's nobody that she wants there more than you."

Marshall frowned. "What if... what if Mark changes his mind and decides he wants to be a part of the baby's life? What if all these emotions that Mary's experiencing about me are a side effect of her pregnancy? What if I wake up tomorrow and everything's changed?"

"Everything will have changed tomorrow," Amme said. "You will be a father tomorrow, whether or not Mark comes back into the picture. As for you and Mary, I can't imagine any amount of pregnancy hormones that would make her say that she loves you if she didn't. For what it's worth, I believe completely that she loves you."

He leaned down and kissed Amelia's cheek. "Have I mentioned how glad I am that you're here?"

Amelia chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Once or twice."

"I'm going to miss you when you're gone." Marshall checked the clock once again. "I should get back in there before Jinx ends up with a black eye."

"Have fun," she joked. "Make sure you let me know what's going on!"

Amelia sat back down and pulled a book out from the diaper bag. She had just started the first page when her phone rang. It was Louise asking for information on Mary's progress. She was frustrated when Amme had little to tell her that she didn't already know and made her promise to call with any updates. Louise ended the phone call with the news that she was catching a flight that evening to Albuquerque so that she could meet her newest grandchild.

"Wonderful," Amelia whispered to herself after she hung up the phone. She picked the book up a second time, making it through the first paragraph when she heard her name.

"Amme!" Sam nearly shouted, walking quickly into the waiting room. He pulled Amelia up from the couch and into his arms, holding her tightly. He pulled away just far enough to see her, keeping his arms around her. "I missed you."

Amelia breathed a sigh of relief, snaking her hands around his neck. "I missed you, too." She pulled his face down to hers, kissing him soundly.

Sam broke the kiss when Amelia gasped for air, but refused to let her go. "How's Mary?"

"I'm waiting to hear how far she's progressed." She used her fingers to draw circles on the back of his neck. "Her contractions were about five minutes apart by the time we got here. That was nearly two hours ago."

"Sam!" Marshall barked, entering the room. He rushed over and embraced them both. "It's good to see you."

Amelia and Sam released each other, but kept their hands together, as if needing to keep a physical connection now that they were finally together. Amelia peaked at Caelan to make sure he was still asleep before asking, "How's Mary?"

Marshall rubbed his face. "She wanted an epidural, but she's already nearly seven centimeters."

"Already?" Amelia and Sam said in disbelief.

"Yeah, and it's not going over well. Jinx is in there trying to reason with her."

Amelia snickered. "That must be going well."

Marshall cringed. "Mary's asking to see you. I think she needs a break from her mother."

"I'll head on back. Are you coming with me?" Amelia asked.

"I think I'm going to stay out here and catch up with Sam for a bit," Marshall replied, clasping his brother's shoulder.

"Wuss," Amelia accused before heading down the hall. She found Mary laying on her side, her hair pulled back. She had one hand over her stomach and the other clenching the bar on the side of bed. She glared at Jinx as Jinx flitted around her. Amelia plastered a large smile on her face as she entered the room. "How's it going, ladies?"

Jinx rushed over and pulled Amelia over to the bed. "Isn't this exciting? Mary's just whipping right through those centimeters like they're nothing."

Amelia gently extricated herself from Jinx. "It's something. Looks like this kid can't wait to get out and seize the world."

"He's been trying to for two months. Why would today be any different?" Mary gritted.

"Mary-" Jinx started, but was interrupted by Amelia.

"Jinx, do you think you could give us a few minutes?" Amelia waited until Jinx was out of the room to move to Mary, massaging her lower back. "How are you hanging in there?"

Mary groaned. "Can you believe that they're telling me I'm too far into labor to take any drugs? What kind of place is this?"

Amelia grunted in sympathy. "Still, it's better than a prolonged labor. John's wife was in labor for twenty-three hours before giving birth to their oldest."

"John?" Mary repeated.

"The oldest Mann brother," Amelia explained. "Do you know who you want in the delivery room?"

Mary cried out as another contraction hit. She concentrated on Amelia until it passed. "Marshall."

"You want me to go get Marshall?"

"No. I only want Marshall in the delivery room," Mary told her, leaving no room for argument in her tone. "Can you keep my mother out of there?"

"Sure. I'll play bad cop. It'll give Sam a chance to play good cop for a change," Amelia teased.

Mary looked up in surprise. "Sam's here?"

Amelia nodded. "He showed up about a half hour ago."

"How was that reunion?" Mary squirmed as she tried to get in a more comfortable position.

"So far, so good. He always was a hell of a kisser." Amelia burst out laughing at the look of horror on Mary's face. "Have you-"

"I'm having another one!" Mary shouted. She grabbed Amelia's hand and crushed it as she worked her way through the contraction. "These are getting stronger and closer together."

Amelia nodded. "They do that. You're getting closer to pushing."

Mary huffed, tears in her eyes. "Can't wait."

"So, have you given any more thought to a name?"

"Yeah, but I want to get Marshall's opinion first," Mary said.

Amelia resumed her massage. "Not even a hint?"

Mary shook her head. "Well, I can tell you it's definitely not James."

"Henry? Thomas? Chakotay?" Amelia offered.

"Chakotay?"

Amelia shrugged. "Star Trek reference."

Mary grimaced. "No wonder you and Marshall get along so well. Oh. Oh! Here we go again!"

"Mary, I'm going to go grab Marshall," Amelia informed her when the contraction was over. "I'm pretty sure you're in transition and based on how quickly you've progressed so far, I don't think it's going to be much longer."

Amelia hurried out of the room, meeting Marshall in the hallway as he was making his way back to the room. He took off running when Amelia shared her thoughts. She continued to the waiting room where Jinx was chatting up a bewildered looking Sam. Caelan was still fast asleep on the couch. Amelia sat down next to Sam, smiling when he took her hand once again, running his thumb over her knuckles.

"It shouldn't be long now," Amelia told them. "I think she's entering transition. She'll be pushing soon."

"I should get back in there," Jinx said, jumping up.

"Sit!" Amelia ordered. Jinx froze at the harsh tone. "Mary doesn't want anyone in there but Marshall."

Sam turned to Jinx with a sympathetic look on his face. "Amelia didn't want her mother in the room either. It was nice just having the two of us there. It was an incredible bonding experience. It'll be good for them."

Jinx nodded slowly. "Yes, I suppose you're right." She wrung her hands. "I can't stand just sitting here."

"Why don't you go grab us some coffee from the cafeteria?" Sam suggested. Jinx immediately agreed. "Oh, and would you mind calling Stan and letting him know what's going on?"

"Sure, dear." Jinx quickly disappeared out of the room.

Amelia bumped his shoulder with her own. "Guess you didn't really need any practice playing good cop after all."

"Huh?"

Amelia shook her head. "So, how are you? You seem... better somehow."

Sam kissed her temple. "I'm in therapy. My therapist is hopeful that I'll make quick progress. I've taken a six month leave."

"You'll be off when the baby comes." Amelia raised his hand and kissed it. "That'll be good."

"I need to talk to you about what happens after that," Sam continued. He swallowed nervously. "I've taken a new position, but it'll require us to move."

Amelia tensed. "Move? Move where?"

Sam pursed his lips. "Here."

"Here?" she repeated, her mind trying to wrap around what he was telling her.

"Yes, here, in Albuquerque." He broke into a huge grin. "I took a job in Marshall's office. I'm going to be working with them. Mary and Marshall can't strictly be partners now that they're involved and the service is looking to expand the office. Officially, I'll be Mary's partner, but I'm sure we both know how that will go. Stan called me to interview. I guess, Marshall's been bragging about me for a few years."

Amelia threw her arms around Sam, kissing him fiercely. "I am so excited that I'm not even going to yell at you for making a decision that affects our entire family without me."

Sam turned apologetic. "I know, I know. It's just that Stan needed an answer right away and I know how much you like it here. You're happier here than I have seen in a long time, Amme."

"I don't want you to think you have to move just for me," she protested. "As long as we're together as a family, I'll be happy anywhere."

"I know, but for the last twelve years you have followed me everywhere this job has taken me. Now, it's time for me to follow you. Besides, I'm pretty sure I'm going to like it here, too."

Amelia wiped the tear that had fallen from her eye. "I love you."

Sam pulled her close. "I love you, too. I'm going to do everything I can to show you just how much."

"Looks like someone's up," Jinx commented, walking into the room. She put two cups of coffee on the table and moved over to Caelan, who was watching his parents with his eyes wide. "Want to say hi to Daddy?"

"Hi, Daddy," Caelan said, stumbling over to them. He lifted his arms to Amelia to be picked up. He giggled when Sam kissed him hello.

Jinx sighed loudly after a few minutes of quiet. "I wish we had cards or something."

"Oh!" Amelia exclaimed. She rummaged in the diaper paper and emerged with a deck of cards. She, Jinx, and Sam gathered around the table to play cards. Caelan sat between his parents, once again playing with his cars. They had been playing for over an hour when Stan and Delia joined them. It was another hour and a half before Marshall came rushing into the room.

"It's a girl!" he shouted, a wide grin on his face. His blue eyes were shining and there were tears on his cheeks. "Six pounds, eleven ounces, eighteen inches long. She's got chubby cheeks and tufts of blond hair and a set of lungs on her just like her mother. She's perfect!"

The members of the room rushed forward to hug him, offering up their congratulations. Marshall sent Jinx into the room to spend a few minutes alone with Mary and the baby. He sat down on one of the chairs, flanked by Stan and Sam.

"How does it feel, Dad?" Stan asked him, hitting him on the back.

"It's... amazing," Marshall replied, dazed. "I can't even describe it. They put this tiny, little creature in my arms and I thought my heart would burst. I didn't know how much was missing in my life until I saw her in Mary's arms. She's going to be a wonderful mother."

Delia sat down on the table. "No disappointment that she wasn't a boy?"

Marshall shook his head, slowly. "I... had forgotten that we were expecting a boy."

"Marsh," Amelia said, quietly. She was rocking Caelan in her arms. "What's her name?"

"Mary wants to tell you herself," Jinx answered, stepping back into the room. "She wants to see you and Marshall now." Jinx grabbed Marshall before he left the room. She kissed and patted his cheek. "Congratulations on your new family."

Amelia followed Marshall into the hospital room. Mary was reclining on the bed with a tiny white blanket in her arms. She was gently stroking the baby's cheek and talking to her. She looked up when she heard Amelia take a picture.

"How are you feeling?" Amelia asked her.

"Incredible. It doesn't seem real," Mary replied. She nodded at Marshall, handing the baby off to him. He in turn gave the baby to Amelia.

Amelia cradled the small infant in her arms, feeling her eyes well up. "She's absolutely beautiful. She looks just like you, Mary. I hear she already has your attitude."

Mary smiled. "Ah, well, I'm sure it was karma or some other kind of BS."

"Are you finally going to tell me this name that you picked out?" Amelia eyes remained on the baby for several minutes until she realized that they were waiting for to look at them before answering.

"We did," Marshall answered. "Actually, it was Mary's idea."

Mary rolled her eyes. "Just remember that my hormones are all out of whack and I can't be legally held responsible for the things my brain comes up with right now."

"What she's trying to say," Marshall cut her off. He kissed her forehead before walking over Amelia, "is that she named the baby Emma Louise Shannon."

"You named her after Marshall's mother?" Amelia remarked, laughing to herself. "Already angling for favorite daughter-in-law status? Because, if so, I have to tell you that you have a lot to live up to on Sarah's end."

Marshall kissed the top of the baby's head and then Amelia's. "She named the baby after you."

Amelia's jaw dropped as she glanced between Mary and Marshall. "Me?"

"Emma is Amme spelled backwards," Marshall continued.

"I just thought," Mary said, her voice rough with emotion, "that there's a really good chance that I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for you pushing and prodding in your little Amme way."

Amelia handed the baby to Marshall before embracing Mary. "Thank you. This means the world to me." She released Mary. "I should get out there and let everyone come in. Are you ready for the rest of your visitors?"

Mary sighed. "I guess we should get this over with."

Amelia took one less opportunity to kiss the baby before hurrying off. Marshall returned to the bed, sitting on the edge. He gave Emma back to Mary. "It's not too late to change your mind about her middle name."

"No," Mary said, emphatically. "Your mother has been the most influential person in your life. I want Emma to have something from her father so that you both will know that this is forever."

"I love you, Mary." He leaned over the baby to kiss Mary, smiling against her lips when Emma started fussing. "I love you, Emmy Lou."

Mary palmed his cheek. "We love you, too, Marshall."


	18. Cleaning Up Some Loose Ends

Mary woke up with a start, realizing that something was wrong. The hospital room was dark as was the window, letting her know that it was early in the morning. She cast her eyes around the room, jumping when she saw a shadow near the door. Instinctively, Mary started for the panic button, knowing she had sent Marshall home hours ago. After spending two days in the hospital around the clock, it was starting to wear on him enough that he barely protested.

"Mary, wait."

"Mark?" Mary paused, but didn't move away from the button. "What are you doing here?"

He stepped forward to the end of the bed. "Brandi told me you were here."

Mary sat up, rubbing her eyes. "My sister told you? You've talked to her? How did she find out? How did you get in here anyway?"

"Jesus, Mary, I've been here for five minutes and I already have a headache." Mark sighed when she glared at him, waiting for an answer. "Brandi told me over Facebook, which is how I think Jinx told her, so, no, technically I haven't talked to her. And it's probably best for both of us if I don't answer that last question."

"Why did come here?" Mary asked, turning on the low light behind her so she could see his face.

Mark rubbed his chin. He looked older than he had the last time, more worn, somehow. "I wanted to see her, my- your- our daughter."

She focused on her keeping her breathing steady as blood pounded in her ears. She was terrified that he had come back to reclaim his place in Emma's life and destroy all of the happiness that she and Marshall had only just captured. She knew she couldn't deny him a place in Emma's life if that's what he wanted. "Why? You sure didn't seem to care two months ago?"

"I do care. I cared then, too. I was just... scared. I thought it would all be easy, but when you went into labor early, well, let's just say that reality hit me all at once and I couldn't handle it," he admitted. He paused before speaking again. "Your, uh, partner-"

"Marshall," Mary supplied, firmly.

Mark smirked. "Right. Marshall. He's more than just your partner, isn't he?"

Mary folded her arms across her chest. "It's none of your business."

"Relax, Mare," he said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "I just want to know if you plan to raise our daughter with him."

Mary bit back a retort of his use of "our daughter." Mary lowered her eyes so that she focused on his chest. "He's a good man. He already loves Emma as his own."

"Emma?"

"It's what we named her," Mary said, quietly, steeling herself for his response to that, wondering if she should tell him that their daughter was named after Marshall's sister-in-law and mother.

Mark let out a long breath. "I like it. Does he love you?"

Mary looked him in the eyes, raising her chin. "With all his heart."

"Good. Let yourself deserve that." Mark stepped around the bed to kiss her forehead. "Mary, I got myself into some trouble."

"Mark," she groaned, her head falling forward.

"I'm not running away, not this time," he explained further, "but I won't be coming back."

Mary froze, his description hitting a little too close to her job. As much as she wanted to ask him further, she knew it was in her best interest to let it go. "I don't know what to say."

Mark shrugged. "Don't say anything, just tell her that I did the best thing I could for her: I stayed away."

She was quiet as Mark kissed her forehead a second time and walked towards the door.

"You should put him on the birth certificate," Mark told her.

"Why didn't you ask if I love him?" Mary countered.

Mark turned to face her. "I knew you loved him from the minute you saw him in the restaurant with that girl. Even after twenty years, your looks never changed, Mare. That was jealousy, hurt, and embarrassment all in one. We both know that you never would have slept with me if we hadn't run into them that night."

Mary thought that over for a few moments before nodding her head once, allowing Mark to leave the room at last. She stayed sitting in that position for several minutes longer, deep in thought. She jumped when the door opened again.

"What are you doing up?" Marshall asked her. He gave her a kiss on the temple.

"What are you doing here?" Mary replied. "I sent you home hours ago to sleep."

He grinned, sheepishly. "I couldn't sleep without you there. So, are you going to tell me why you're still awake?"

Mary shifted to allow Marshall to sit on the bed. She settled against him, smiling as he wrapped an arm around her. "Mark was here."

"What did he want?" Marshall asked, stiffly.

"He wanted to see the baby. He wanted to tell me that he was going away forever. He asked that we tell her that he did it for her," she explained. "He thinks we should put you on the birth certificate. What do you think about that?"

"What do you think about that?"

Mary took a deep breath. "I think Emma couldn't ask for a better father than you. I know that you will be there for her, no matter what happens between the two of us. You have loved her from the moment you figured out that I was pregnant."

Marshall nodded. "All true."

"I think this will put away any doubts about your place in her life."

"Mary," he sighed. He cupped her cheek with his head, "I don't have any doubts about my place in Emma's life. I don't have doubts about my place in your life either."

Mary scoffed. "Really? No doubts at all?"

Marshall smiled. "No. Does that mean that I think this is going to be easy? No. Do I think you're going to fight me left and right as is your nature? Absolutely. But, no, at the end of the day, I do not doubt that I am your best friend and the love of your life."

"Don't say 'love of your life'," she huffed.

"My soul mate. My one true love. My Imzadi," he offered, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

Mary hit his chest. "You're lucky that I love you."

Capturing her hand, he placed a kiss on her palm. "Yes, I am." He scooted the two of them down in the bed. "Time for sleep."

"What about the birth certificate?" Mary mumbled, drifting off to sleep as Marshall's scent enveloped her.

"I would love to put my name on there," he whispered, drifting off to sleep himself.

IPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSI PSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIP SIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPS

"You know," Marshall started as he and Mary sat in the car outside of their house. Emma slept peacefully next to Mary in her car seat, "eventually, she's going to need changed and you're not going to want to do it in the car."

"I know," Mary said, quietly, just a hint of subdued fear in her voice. "She's in there, right?"

Marshall frowned. "Who?"

She sighed, frustrated. "Amme. She's in there, right? She knows we were on our way home, right?"

"Yes, she's in there," Marshall replied, understanding dawning on him. "So are our moms, Sam, and Caelan."

"Can you go get her?"

Marshall turned around in his seat to face her. She refused to look into his eyes. "You want me to go get Amme and bring her out here?"

Mary nodded. "I need to talk to her."

"Okay."

She watched as Marshall grabbed the bags from the car and trekked into the house. Her eyes flickered back to the tiny infant beside her. Mary nervously fussed with Emma's green cap. She jumped when the car door opened and Amelia sat on the other side of the car seat.

"Lovely weather we're having," Amelia commented. She chuckled at the glare she received from Mary. "Want to tell me what's going?"

"I don't think I can do this," Mary replied. "I don't know what I was thinking, but I'm not a mom. I don't know how to change diapers, give baths, change her clothes. I'm a mess at breastfeeding. I don't know how to put her to sleep. I don't know how to take away her heartbreak. I don't know how to teach her right from wrong. I don't-"

"Mary!" Amelia said, forcefully. "You are going to drive yourself nuts with all of that. Take it one day at a time for now. You just need practice on the diapers and the breastfeeding and the clothes changing. You have Marshall to help, too. Everything will be okay."

Mary took a deep breath. "I don't know how to get her out of this thing."

Amelia bit back a laugh. "Well, you have two options: you can either unlatch her and pull her out of the seat and have to carry her into the house. Or you can hit this button and carry the whole carrier into the house."

"Oh," Mary replied. "That seems easy enough. Would you mind carrying her in? I'm still a bit tired."

"I could, but I think her daddy would like to do it even more." Amelia got out of the car and waved for Marshall to come. "You grab the munchkin; I'll grab Dorothy."

"Aun-Mar!" Caelan shouted as they entered the house. He raced towards her, only in howl in indignation when Sam lifted him before he could reach Mary.

Sam tickled him to distract him. "Sorry, buddy. Aunt Mary can't pick you up just yet. She's still recovering."

Caelan looked towards Amelia, confused. "Covering?"

"Aunt Mary is sick," Amelia explained, helping Mary to the couch. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Please," Mary replied.

"Ooh, let me see that little one," Jinx and Louise both squealed as Marshall took the baby from the carrier. They glanced awkwardly at each other.

Jinx intertwined her hands together. "You go ahead. You only have a few days here."

Louise smiled, gratefully, but Mary caught the look of triumph in her eyes. Mary ducked her head to cover her smile. Amelia just might be more onto Louise than Louise thought she was. Mary settled in against the couch, taking the bottle of water from Amelia. She watched as Louise and Jinx fussed over the tiny little girl, discussing all the different ways they intended to dress her up. She smiled as Marshall introduced Caelan to Emma, allowing him to hold her over Louise's protests. Mary felt a warmth in her chest when she caught Sam and Amelia off in the corner, talking softly to each other as his hand lay on her stomach. Mary felt her eyes close as she heard Marshall singing Emma a lullaby.

"Mary," Jinx whispered, shaking her shoulder. "Mary, sweetheart, we're heading out."

"Okay," Mary yawned, gingerly sitting up. "Thanks for stopping by."

Louise reached down and hugged her. "We'll be back tomorrow. I have to leave the next day, though, so I want to get as much time in with my granddaughter as I can." Louise hugged her again. "I just can't thank you enough for naming her after me."

Mary shrugged. "It was nothing."

"We're going to go, too," Amelia said, stepping in front of Mary.

"What?" Mary panicked. "No, you can't go!"

Amelia squeezed her shoulder. "We'll be back tomorrow. The three of you need time to bond as a family. We got a room at Louise's hotel for the next few days."

"But-"

"If you need anything, Mary, you can call me. We're only ten minutes away," Amelia assured her. She leaned down to Mary's ear. "You got this. You're going to be a great mom. And you have Marshall. You have everything you need."

Mary nodded, desperately trying to hold onto Amelia's confidence in her as she watched everyone walk out the door. Mary looked at Marshall, who was holding Emma. She felt tears well up: tears of joy over seeing Marshall's adoration of Emma and tears of fear over being responsible for this fragile life.

"Mare?" Marshall said, sitting down next to her. "What's wrong?"

"I hate these hormones," she replied, swiping angrily at her eyes. "I don't know if I'm coming or going with them. Marshall," Mary's voice dropped low, "what if I can't do this? What if I suck as a mom? What if she was better off with someone else?"

Marshall took a deep breath. He knew this was coming eventually, but he had hoped Mary's earlier conversation with Amelia would push it off for a few days. He placed Emma in her arms. "What do you feel when you look at her?"

Mary studied her daughter. "Whole."

"Then, that's all you need to know."

"How do you do that?" she asked, her eyes remaining on Emma. Mary smiled as the ends of Emma's mouth turned upwards. She knew that most people would say the smile was a reflex or gas, but she believed it was in response to Marshall's words. "How do you know just what to say to make everything okay?"

"Because I know you," he replied, pulling Mary into his side.

Mary leaned her forehead against his jaw. "We're lucky to have you."

Marshall felt his heart skip, once again thanking the universe for giving him these two amazing females in his life. "I'm the lucky one. I love you."

"I love you," Mary yawned, drifting off to sleep.

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"Mama! Mama, Aun-Mar!" Caelan shouted as his grandmother pulled him out of his car seat and put him on the ground. He had woken up looking for Mary this morning as he had for the last few days, only to be disappointed when he realized that she wasn't there.

"Yes, we're going to see Aunt Mary, but remember," Amelia lifted him uncomfortably in her arms, ignoring the frowns from Sam and Louise, "Aunt Mary is very tired and hurt so you can't jump on her."

Caelan nodded. "Okay, Mama."

Amelia shook her head and smiled. She rung the doorbell and waited for it to open. She bit her lip to stop from smiling when Marshall opened the door. His hair stuck up in several places, his shirt contained coffee stains, and he was still in his pajamas, despite it being nearly lunchtime. He cradled Emma in his arms.

"How did it go last night?" Louise asked, unable to hide the amusement in her voice.

"I don't understand how one tiny, little girl could throw so much chaos into our lives," Marshall replied, a bit stunned. "She doesn't like to sleep unless someone's walking her. I can't walk that much. I-"

Louise patted his cheek. "She'll outgrow it. Where's Mary?"

Marshall sighed. "She's taking a nap."

"Why don't you take a nap, dear," Louise prodded, taking the baby from his arms. "Sam and Amelia can watch Emma while I make some lunch."

"Okay," he mumbled in agreement before stumbling down the hall. Mary was curled on her side, her hair splayed across her face. Marshall carefully crawled into the bed behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Emma," she muttered, automatically.

Marshall kissed the back of her neck. "Amelia's got her."

Mary sighed, contently. She waited a few moments before speaking again. "We have to find a nanny to watch her. Amelia will be going back with Sam soon."

"I know." Marshall was surprised by the heaviness in his heart over that realization. He had really come to depend on seeing Amelia and Caelan daily. "We'll figure it out."

"I think I'm going to take six months off, get as much time with Emma as I can."

"Sounds good," he agreed, pulling her tighter against him. "Now, sleep, before it's time for her to eat again."

Mary put her hand on top of his, interlacing their fingers. "I don't know if we can do this. Look at us, Marshall. One night and our house is falling apart. We are falling apart."

Marshall opened his hands, not liking the defeat in her tone. He raised his head, pulling her onto her back. "We are not falling apart. We are adjusting."

"We're not going to be able to do this without Amelia," she countered.

"Let me tell you something: Amelia and Sam had both my mother and her mother staying for the first two weeks and she still called me crying every day."

"Really?" Mary sniffled.

He kissed her nosed. "Yes, really. See, you're seeing Amelia all put together almost two years after Caelan was born. She wasn't always this confidant about her parenting. And Sam, Sam is still a mess when it comes Caelan."

She offered him a small smile. "I guess that's true."

"It is true. We'll be okay. We just need time," Marshall assured her.

"When you say that, I actually believe you," she sighed, reaching up to stroke his face. "I love you."

Marshall blushed. "I love you, too."

"Now, why don't you get down here and give me a kiss?" Mary ordered, batting her eyelashes, jokingly.

"Wouldn't you rather sleep?" he asked, his lips millimeters from hers.

Mary narrowed her eyes. "I'd rather not maim you the first full day that we have our daughter at home."

Marshall laughed. "I'm not really sure how you'd write that in the baby book."

"I'm warning-" She was cut off by Marshall's lips upon hers. Gone was her tiredness, her fear, and her doubts. Her entire world limited to just this man and the tingles he produced throughout her body. His fingers were just beginning to roam about her body when Emma's shrill cries rang out, filling the entire house. Mary reluctantly broke the kiss. "Guess that's my cue."

"Come on, Mama," Marshall sighed, rolling out of bed. He pulled her up. "Your duty calls."

Mary groaned. "All my life, I wanted to be a cow."

Marshall's barking laugh was heard all over the house.


	19. The Best Ideas

"Are you sure this is okay?" Sam asked Amelia as he grabbed their bags from the back of the car. "I mean, they only just got home."

"A week ago, Sam," she replied, helping Caelan from his seat, "and Mary practically begged us to come home. Marshall has to head back to the office starting tomorrow afternoon."

"Okay, okay," he said, raising his hands in mock defeat.

Amelia sighed. "Speaking of which, when are you going to let your brother know about your new job?"

Sam smiled mischievously. "Don't worry. I have a plan."

"I just don't want your plan to take too long. I don't want Mary to hire a nanny when I'm perfectly capable of watching Emma."

"Are you sure you want to do that? I mean, two babies less than five months apart and a toddler running around?" He sighed as her annoyed face. "I just remember how tired you were with the twins."

Amelia opened her mouth to make a smartass retort. She stopped herself when she saw his earnest face. Amelia kiss his cheek. "Thank you for worrying, but I'm sure I'll be fine."

"Fine about what?" Marshall asked, opening the door. He chuckled as Caelan ran past, looking for Mary.

Both Sam and Amelia froze, not expecting him. They both spoke at the same time, "Oh, nothing really."

Marshall raised an eyebrow. "While I don't believe you in the least, I'm too delighted to see you working together to comment further."

"Huh?" Sam asked.

"So, you appear to be much more rested today," Amelia jumped in before the two brothers could start.

Marshall flashed her a grin. "Emma finally slept for three straight hours last night."

Sam punched him in the shoulder. "Congrats, man. I don't think Caelan did that for the first month. Your daughter is clearly advanced."

"Are you three idiots going to stand in the doorway all day?" Mary yelled from the couch.

"Idiots!" Caelan called out, too. Marshall closed his eyes and sighed. He started to apologize, but was interrupted by Sam passing by. "Caelan, we do not call people idiots... even if Aunt Mary does."

Mary shrugged, flashing Caelan half a grin. "Better listen to your dad, kid."

Marshall flung an arm around Amelia's shoulder, leading her inside. They headed past the living room where Caelan was explaining in his toddler talk everything he had done up to getting to the house that morning towards the nursery. Marshall released her just outside the nursery door.

"Things seem to be better with you and Sam," Marshall said, trying and failing to sound nonchalant.

"It's been a good week; a good couple of weeks," Amelia agreed, "but we still have a lot to work on, both of us. I've been independent of him for so long now, I have to remember what it's like to be a team."

Marshall nodded. "But he's trying, right?"

Amelia tilted her head. "What's going on?"

"It's just..." He sighed. "It's just that you're going to be leaving soon and I want to make sure that everything is going to be good between the two of you. I don't want you to be unhappy; either of you."

"And you think if you're around that you can stop it?"

Marshall frowned. "I think I can help... somehow. You just did so much for Mary and me."

Amelia smiled. "And you paid me back by naming my niece after me. Speaking of which, I'm going in there to get her." She paused at the doorway. "Don't worry, Marsh. I'm pretty sure things are going to work out fine."

"Marshall! Your phone!" Mary called out, interrupting any further conversation.

Amelia slipped inside the nursery as Marshall headed down the hall. She walked over the crib with every intention of picking Emma up, but found her sleeping peacefully. Emma's cheeks were rosy as ever. Her hair had already taken on a darker hue, though definitely still blond. Amelia found herself reluctant to disturb her niece.

"Hey," Sam said, quietly, slipping in behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, laying his hands of her stomach. "Stan wants me to come into the office now. He's going to ask Marshall to come in, too, and announce the news."

"Okay."

Sam gazed down at the baby. "You know, she almost looks like Marshall."

Amelia chuckled. "I think you're seeing things. She does look like Mary, though."

"Caelan looked a lot like you when he was born," Sam told her.

"Now, I know you're seeing things," Amelia retorted. "Caelan has always looked just like you. Well, you and Marshall, but you two look so much alike."

Sam growled. "You're just asking for it."

She turned in his arms, looping hers around his neck. "In, oh, so many ways." She brought his head down to hers, kissing him sweetly. "I love you, you know."

"Even when I'm being overbearingly protective?" he asked, his bottom lip sticking out in a mock pout.

"Mary's right; you're an idiot." Amelia kissed him again. Their kisses became more passionate as hands started roaming.

"Oh, seriously, guys?" Mary groaned, walking into the nursery. "My kid is sleeping in here."

Amelia shrugged. "Oops?"

Sam ran his hand over his lips, a blush creeping up his neck. "What are you doing in here anyway?"

"My boobs are about to explode so I'm pretty sure any minute now, she's-" a tiny mewl erupted from the crib, "going to wake up." Mary picked the baby up and arranged herself into the rocking chair. She looked up to see Sam and Amelia watching her. "You just going to stand there and watch?"

"I was thinking about it, yeah," Sam smirked.

"Jesus, pervis," Mary breathed out.

Amelia smacked his behind. "Get out of here. Go run your errands."

Sam saluted her. "Yes, ma'am. See you in a few hours."

"Where's he off to?" Mary asked as she settled Emma against her breast.

"Errands," Amelia lied. "I'm not really sure where."

Mary frowned. "And you trust him to just... go off?"

Amme stopped herself from rolling her eyes. "Mary, if I didn't trust him, it wouldn't make much sense to try and work on a marriage."

"Well, now, isn't this my favorite sight in the entire world," Marshall commented, stepping back into the room. Amelia quickly left to track down Caelan.

"You're just hoping to get a flash of a boob," Mary quipped, "since you haven't seen them yet."

In a flash, Marshall knelt beside her, startling her. He rubbed a finger against Emma's cheeks, tantalizingly close to Mary's breast, but refusing to actually touch it. "Oh, Sunshine, make no mistake: when you are properly healed, I will see every last bit of you. I will make you mine completely."

Mary's mouth was agape as Marshall's fiery eyes burned into her own. She opened her mouth to comment, but was stopped by Marshall capturing her mouth in a searing kiss. He left her breathless by the time he pulled back. Mary glanced down at Emma to find she hadn't been disturbed at all by her parents.

"This being my favorite sight, however, has nothing to do with that," Marshall finished. He laughed softly at the confusion in her eyes as it took a moment for her mushed brain to remember what they had been discussing. Marshall kissed Emma's temple before standing up. "Stan wants me to come into the office."

"Huh?" Mary shook her head. "Why does he want you to go in?"

Marshall cringed. "He wants to discuss the changes in the office."

"What changes?" Mary demanded. She was forced to calm herself down when Emma began to fuss.

"Well, now that we're romantically entangled," Marshall told her, "we can no longer be partners in an official capacity."

Mary felt her stomach sink and her chest clench. "Why not?"

He cupped her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "Just in an official capacity. You know that you and I will tag team whoever this new guy is until he goes along with our rules." He ran his thumb over her cheek. "You're not going to lose me; not here and not at work."

Mary nodded, repeating his words in her head until heart began to beat regularly again. "I'm coming with you."

"You can't," Marshall replied, automatically.

"I can and I am," she hissed back. "There is no way I'm letting you meet the new guy without me."

Marshall sighed. "Mare-"

"Don't even think about arguing," Mary cut him off.

"Fine," Marshall agreed, "but we're not staying long. Just long enough for Stan to introduce us to the guy and get a game plan on his transition. You had a baby a week ago."

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"And on that note, you get to change Emma's diapers for the rest of the night," Mary told him as they stepped through the door of the WitSec office.

"It's nice to see some things just don't change," Delia said, excitedly, walking up to them. She hastily hugged them both before Mary had a chance to protest. "So, where's the little one? I was hoping to see her when I heard you were coming."

Mary sighed. "At home with Amelia."

Marshall placed a hand on her arm to keep her calm. "You should stop over this weekend. We'd love to have you for dinner."

"Marshall!" Mary hissed.

"Oh, that's sounds wonderful!" Delia cooed, clapping her hands together. "I'll bring pie."

Mary's eyes lit up. "Oh, pie. You should probably make two. I mean, there will be a few of us there." Marshall elbowed her in the side. "Ow!"

Delia tittered. "Don't worry, Mary. I'll make you a pie just for you."

"You know, you're really starting to grow on me," Mary told her. She walked over to Marshall's desk and sat on the edge, glancing around the office. "So, have you met the new guy yet? What's he like?"

"Don't know," Delia admitted. "Stan sent me out for lunch before he brought the new guy in and they've been sequestered in the back conference room ever since."

Mary's eyes narrowed. "No one uses that room..."

"... unless they're hiding," Marshall finished. "This can't be good."

"What's going on?" Delia asked, eagerly.

Mary looked to Marshall to explain. "The last time Stan used that conference room was when Mary made a marshal cry."

"What marshal?" Delia asked, curiously.

"Monk," Mary replied.

"Mike," Marshall corrected.

"Whatever." Mary scoffed. "How was I suppose to know that he would be more sensitive than a twelve-year-old girl? I did him and us a favor." She tossed Marshall a brilliant smile. "Besides, I don't remember you protesting too much. In fact, I seem to recall you giggling like a schoolgirl."

"I-"

"Oh, good, Marshall, you're here," Stan said, walking out of the back conference room. His eyes widened slightly at seeing Mary, "and you've brought Mary."

"He didn't bring me anywhere," Mary growled. "There was no way he was meeting the newbie without me."

Stan sighed, but there was no real annoyance behind it. "You look good, Mary. How are you? How's Emma?"

She waved him off. "Fine. Fine. Now, where's this new guy? He better not be as much of a wuss as Mink."

"Mike," Marshall corrected automatically.

"Whatever." Mary's eyes danced gleefully. "So, who's the unlucky target? Uh, new colleague?"

Stan danced on the back of his feet. "He's been a marshal for about twelve years. He's never worked in WitSec, but he comes highly recommended."

"Recommended by whom?" Mary demanded.

"By Marshall, for one."

Mary and Delia both turned towards Marshall who tilted his head in confusion. Marshall shook his head. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Stan raised his eyebrows and grinned before calling over his shoulder, "Oh, Sam!"

"Sam?" Marshall and Mary repeated.

Sam waved as he emerged from the conference room, laughing at the stunned expressions on their faces. "It's been a long time since I've been able to surprise you, big brother."

Marshall shook his head. "How did this- When did this- Does Amelia know?"

"Yes," Sam confessed. "She... has been so happy here. Caelan, too. I can't take them away from here so when this opportunity came up, I snatched it up."

"Now, obviously if Mary and Marshall aren't going to be able to partner, Sam and Marshall are not going to be able to be partnered. so officially, Mary, you're with Sam and Marshall, you're with Delia."

Delia squealed, happily. "And unofficially?"

Stan sighed again, though the irritation was present this time. "Unofficially, you know these two do whatever the hell they want anyway." He rolled his eyes at Mary and Marshall's gloating. "In the meantime, since Sam and Mary are still on leave for six months, we're going to keep things as they are with O'Brien filling in for Mary. Marshall will be back tomorrow afternoon. Any questions? No? Good. Everyone that isn't currently on active status, get out."

With that, Stan turned on his heels and walked into his office, shutting the door behind him. He was pleased nearly to the point of being giddy at being able to pull one over on his inspectors. He only hoped that the partnerships would work out the way he planned; that they would become a team instead of Mary and Marshall siphoning themselves off.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Delia," Marshall said, leading his brother and Mary out of the office.

"Looking forward to it. I'll make your favorite muffins," Delia tossed out as the elevator doors closed.

Sam smirked at Marshall. "She knows your favorite muffins?"

Mary shrugged. "She knows everyone's favorite muffins." Her eyes glossed over. "She makes delicious muffins. I would marry her for those muffins." She frowned at their bemused expressions. "Well, I'd marry the muffins. I'd kill Delia within a day if I was married to her."

"I can't believe you hid this from me," Marshall told Sam. "You and Amme, both. Does Mom know?"

"Not yet," Sam admitted. "I am not looking forward to that conversation either."

Marshall shudder. "I'm not looking forward to the fall-out."

Mary rolled her eyes. "Mama's boys."

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"There's my girl," Marshall cooed, taking Emma from Amelia as he, Mary, and Sam walked into the house. "How was she?"

"She's a genius. She said her first word," Amelia told him.

"She what?"

Amelia shook her head, breathing out slowly. "Wow. You guys were gone for like an hour and a half. She's a week old. She slept."

Marshall ignored her, talking to the baby. "Did you say your first word? Was it cacophony or maybe gregarious? Don't you know you're suppose to wait for Daddy before you say your first word?"

"Anyway," Amelia turned to Sam, "how did it go?"

"Good," Sam told her. "I think everything's going to work out just fine. We just have to sell the house, move here, and tell my mom. Preferably in that order." He glanced around the room. "Is Caelan napping?

Amelia nodded as Mary walked up to them. "So, does this mean you're taking on nanny responsibilities?"

Amelia nodded. "That's the plan."

"And you don't think it's going to be too much with a two-year-old and two babies?" Mary asked, concerned.

"No," she huffed. "Besides, if I really need to, I can call Jinx."

"You'll be fine," Marshall assured her. He kissed Mary's temple, despite her protest. "We have an excellent reference for a real estate agent if you're interested.

Amelia glanced at her watch. "Actually, I have an appointment with one in about an hour, if you don't mind watching Caelan for us."

Mary shook her head. "I think it's the least we can do."

"Great!" she replied, enthusiastically. Amelia grabbed Sam's hand, dragging him towards the door. "Come on, hubby. If we go now, we can make out in the parking lot."

"Looks like everything's going to work out," Marshall commented, watching Amelia and Sam drive off from the window. He turned after Mary didn't reply. She was staring off into the distance. "What's going on, Mare?"

She shrugged. "Doesn't it seem a little... too neat?"

Marshall swallowed the lump of fear rising up his throat. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, Amelia and Sam moving to Albuquerque just when we need a nanny. And Sam getting the job with us. And Mark signing away his paternity and disappearing. And-"

"Mary!" Marshall said, forcefully, cutting her off. "Sometimes, good things do happen, especially to people who deserve it. And there is no one more deserving then you."

Mary closed her eyes, letting his words wash over her, reveling in the warmth that they brought. She basked in his love for a moment before opening her eyes back up. "What do you say we put the rugrat in her carrier and make out for a little bit?"

Marshall kissed her teasingly. "Best idea I've heard all day."


	20. Engaging Nights

"I'm not sure we should do this," Mary balked.

Amelia exchanged an amused glance with Sam. "You're doing this."

"But she's only seven weeks old," Mary protested.

"Seven and a half weeks," Amelia countered, "and how many times have you attempted to have sex, only to get interrupted by Emma or Caelan or squicked out because we're here?"

"Mary!" Marshall admonished.

Mary cringed. "Hey, you're the one that wanted us to be friends. This is what friends do… or so she tells me."

Amelia shot him a gleeful smile before reassuring Mary, "It is. Imagine all the stuff you can share about Sam." She laughed when both Marshall and Sam groaned. "Now, look, you guys aren't even going to be gone for twenty-four hours. The room is paid for; the reservations for dinner are set. We are perfectly capable of watching your daughter. Get out."

"But-" Mary tried again.

"Now!" Amelia ushered them physically out of the house.

Marshall grabbed Mary's hand as the door behind them closed. They could hear Amelia and Sam laughing from outside. He kissed her wrist. "Well, shall we?"

Mary nodded, words failing her. She couldn't remember the last time she was this nervous to have sex. Normally, she simply jumped into it, but whether it was the fail attempts that Amelia alluded to or the fact that it was Marshall that she would be making love to, she found herself hesitant, almost scared. Mary Shannon wasn't a woman that did scared.

"Mary?"

She looked over at him, realizing for the first time that she had gotten into the car and they were well on their way while she was lost in thought. Mary forced herself not to hide from his concerned eyes. "They better have sprung for the good room. If they think I'm going to stay in just any room, they're nuts. We'll turn the car around and make them stay in the room."

Marshall chuckled. He reached for her hand again, intertwining their fingers. "It's okay. I'm a bit anxious myself."

"It's stupid," Mary huffed. "I mean, we're already committed to each other. We've had some... amazing make out sessions so far. There is nothing I'd like more than to throw you down right now and yet..."

"When we do this, there's no going back," he finished.

Mary sighed, amused. "I think there was no going back when you dragged me to this town all those years ago."

Marshall scoffed. "Interesting piece of revisionist history you're spinning there."

"Shut up and drive, doofus," she ordered. "You know how those fancy words get me all hot and bothered."

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"Are you kidding me?" Mary asked in a disbelieving tone. She and Marshall were standing just inside the hotel room that Amelia and Sam had gotten them. "That is the biggest bath tub I have ever seen. It could be a swimming pool."

"What about that bed?" Marshall countered. "It looks like it came from a magazine."

Mary turned to Marshall. "Apparently, your brother and sister-in-law really wanted to baby-sit our kid."

Marshall pulled her flush against him. "I suspect it had more to do with what you've talked about with Amelia." He leaned down close to her ear. "Just what have you ladies been talking about anyway?"

"Oh, you know," she shuddered when she felt his breath against her skin, "just girl talk."

"Should I be worried about this 'girl talk'?" he asked.

Mary looped her arms around his neck. "I would be."

Marshall laughed, heartily. "Well, Miss Mary Sunshine, what do you think we should do first?"

"Well, we have a few hours before dinner so I think what we really need to do is try out that tub." She pulled back to see the amusement on his face. He readily agreed, offering to unpack their bags while she filled the tub. Marshall entered the bathroom to find Mary already lounging in the bubble-filled tub. He handed her a glass of wine.

"Looks like Amelia thought of everything," he commented, drawing circles on the surface of the water to watch the bubbles scattered.

Mary studied the wine. "Do you think it's okay for me to drink this?"

Marshall nodded. "You'll just need to dump your breast milk, which isn't a problem since you won't be feeding Emma until tomorrow." He wagged his eyebrows. "I could probably help you with that later."

Mary opened her mouth to reply, but found she had nothing to say. She blushed profusely instead. "So, are you going to join me or are you just going to sit there all day?"

"I don't know. I'm rather enjoying the few." Marshall's grin grew even wider.

"Get in here, you idiot," she ordered, "before I decide that you're no longer invited."

Marshall raised his hands in surrender. He stood and dropped the white, fluffy bathrobe from his body, revealing his nakedness. Mary bit her bottom lip as she took him in. She started at his ankles and moved upward. His body was firm, much more so than he appeared in his clothes. Of course, after several months of sleeping next to and on him, this wasn't a complete surprise to Mary. Still, seeing him exposed was an entirely different experience.

Marshall shifted uncomfortably under her scrutiny. "Do I meet your approval?"

"Huh?" Mary moved her attention to his face. She licked her lips. "Definitely."

"Good," he whispered. Marshall slipped into the tub. He pulled her forward, sliding into her seat, before settling her on his lap. He grabbed the sponge from the side of the tub and dipped it into the water. Slowly, he ran the sponge over her body, leaving no area of her skin that he reach untouched.

Mary groaned at his touch. "I think, we're going to need a bigger bathtub at home."

Marshall placed a kiss on the side of her neck. "Just say the word, my dear, and I will buy you the biggest bathtub that we can find. I'll even build a bathroom around it if it'll keep you this relaxed."

"Oh, I definitely- Oh!" Mary exclaimed as Marshall tweaked a nipple. "Careful, there, buster! Those things are a little sensitive."

"Really? Well, what about this?" Marshall took his fingers and fleetingly ran them up her center. Mary's entire body bowed upward at the contact. "Hm, maybe I should quit."

Mary grabbed his hand to keep it down there. "Do it and I will kill you."

Marshall pulled her earlobe into his mouth and sucked gently. "I wouldn't dream of it."

"Where did you learn to do that with your hands?" she asked, gasping for air nearly twenty minutes later.

"I-" His face was a violent red. "I don't just read history books, Mare."

Mary made a noise of satisfaction. "Well, as soon as you get me out of this tub, I'll show you exactly what I've read about."

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"How's your steak?" Marshall asked her, pointing to her plate.

"It's delicious," she cooed. "And your pasta?"

He licked his lips. "Out of this world."

They both fell quiet again. Mary concentrated on the food in front of her while Marshall took in the ambiance of the fancy restaurant. He was more of a diner person, but he had to admit this had his charms. He smiled when he saw a man helping his pregnant wife out of his seat. His thoughts, however, soon turned to Emma at home and he felt his heartstrings tug.

"This is ridiculous," Mary announced. "We used to have things to talk about."

"We still have things to talk about," Marshall protested. "It's just that we've banned the two most demanding things in our lives right now: Emma and work."

Mary sighed. "Shouldn't we be able to go out and enjoy a meal without talking about our kid? Are we really going to become those people?"

Marshall raised his eyebrows. "I think we are."

"Oh, good," she breathed out, "because I have to admit that I cannot believe how much I miss that little rugrat. I mean, we've only been gone for a few hours and I already can't wait to see her again. It's not like I'm not having a good time-"

"It's just like you feel we should be somewhere else, doing something else," Marshall continued. "I understand completely. Hey, what do you say that after this, we go ahead and give Amme a call? She can hold the phone up to the baby's ear so that we can say good night."

Mary reached out to grab his hand, amazed at how quickly she was adapting to public displays of affection. "I think that sounds like an amazing idea. Now, eat up."

"Did Amelia sound a little snippy to you?" Marshall asked as they walked the grounds of the hotel after dinner was finished. There was a large garden with a small maze in the back for people to wander through.

"She sounded out of breath to me," Mary replied with a smirk.

Marshall stopped. "You don't think... ew!"

She laughed, the sound carrying out across the garden. "Hey, if they can get Emma to sleep long enough to... do that... then I say more power to them."

"I suppose," Marshall mumbled. He grabbed her hand and laid a kiss on her wrist before intertwining their fingers. "Do you think we'll ever get to that point? Where we're comfortable enough to make love like they do with the baby in the house?"

"I didn't think I'd ever be comfortable doing this," Mary told him, gesturing to their hands. She tugged on his hand to get him moving again.

Marshall squeezed her hand. "I'm really glad that you are, though, even though I can feel you warring with yourself over it."

Mary shot him a crooked smile. "You're not going to get all sappy on me, are you?"

"Maybe a little." He glanced around before pulling her behind a large bush.

"Really, Marshall? Outdoors?" Mary teased. She ran her hands up his chest. "It's been awhile, but I'm game."

Marshall's jaw dropped and he blinked twice, imaging the possibilities. He shook his head. "No, I just want to discuss something with you."

She dropped her hands away, a pit forming in her stomach. "Uh-oh."

"I want you to keep an open mind and not freak out. I'm not trying to pressure you into anything." He cringe at the storm clouds gathering in her eyes. "We kind of talked about this before the baby was born, but I let you brush over it. I'd really like to see where your thoughts are."

"Just spit it out already, doofus," Mary ordered, her frustration rising the longer he pushed off saying what was on his mind.

Marshall stared at the ground. "What are you thoughts on marriage?"

She rubbed her eye and forehead with her index finger. "Marriage in general? I think most people that get married probably would have been better rethinking that decision."

"What about marriage between you and me?"

"Oh," Mary said, softly. Even knowing that was the direction that he was headed, she found it stunning when he said it aloud. "Well... I don't think we have to get married to show how much we love each other or how committed we are to each other."

Marshall shook his head. "I don't think so either."

Mary hesitated. "I have to tell you that I'm confused right now. If you don't think that we need to be married, then why are you bringing this up?"

"I don't think we have to be married, but I'd like to someday be married... whenever you're comfortable with it." He exhaled slowly. "I look at Amelia and Sam, how they used to be and what they're getting back to, and I envy that. I want to be able to introduce you as my wife. But I know that you're weary of marriage for so many reasons and I understand them." He grabbed her hands. "I want you to consider letting us get engaged. It sounds more permanent to introduce you as my fiance as opposed to my girlfriend."

Clenching her jaw, Mary bit her tongue to weigh the pros and cons of his proposition instead of outright telling him no as was her first reaction. He did have a point that the term "boyfriend" seemed so flimsy for what they had. At the same time, neither her first marriage nor her engagement to Raph had worked out and wasn't keen on repeating the mistake. But this was Marshall and Marshall was "forever."

"I'll think about," she decided, finally.

Marshall let out a huge sigh of relief. He hugged her and kissed her forehead. "Thank you."

She looked up at him sharply. "I didn't actually say yes."

"I know." He took her hand and led her back towards the hotel. "Now, about more kids..."

"You better start running."

Early the next morning, Mary watched as Marshall slept. She laid naked on his chest, one leg thrown over his. She felt sated in a way that she hadn't ever before as they had made love late into the night. Mary's heart was full and she was so giddy so thought she might giggle. She waited and waited for the cynicism in seep in, but it never came.

"Hey," Marshall said, sleepily, opening one of his eyes.

Mary raised her head from his chest. "Hey."

He twirled the ends of her blond hair between his fingers. "Everything okay?"

"Everything is wonderful." She kissed, languidly, relishing the taste of his lips. A soft pang of regret that she had wasted so much time not kissing him gnawed at her, but she forced it away. "About what we were talking about early? Yes."

"Yes?" Marshall repeated, his heart thumping loud enough that she could feel.

Mary nodded. "Whenever you ask me, the answer will be yes."

IPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIP SIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPS

"You could help with the bags!" Marshall called after Mary from the back of the car.

"But then I couldn't be the first one to hold the baby!" she shouted back with smirked. Laughing as Marshall shook his head, Mary flung open the front door. "We're home!"

"Aun-Mar!" Caelan exclaimed, jumping up from the floor where he had been playing cars with Sam. Caelan jumped into her waiting arms.

Sam took Caelan back with a chuckle. "Easy there, bud. I'm sure Aunt Mary is sore."

Mary wiggled her eyebrows. "In all the right places."

"Here's Mommy," Amelia said, handing the baby to Mary.

"I think she's grown," Mary exclaimed, covering Emma in kisses. "I missed you so, so much. How was she?"

Amelia rubbed her stomach. "She was good. She slept for almost five hours straight last night."

Marshall dumped the bags just inside the door and hurried to Mary. "She looks like she's grown!"

"That's what I said!" Mary told him as Amelia and Sam rolled their eyes at each other. Mary handed him the baby.

"How was she?"

Sam slapped him on the back. "She was a perfect angel." He kissed Caelan's temple before putting him down to go play. "So, we have some news."

Mary looked up from Emma. "We have some news, too."

"You go first," Marshall offered.

"We bought a house," Sam announced.

Amelia grabbed his hand. "Actually, we bought the house across the street."

Mary scrunched her face up. "The Millers? I didn't know they were selling."

"I was talking to Mrs. Miller the other day and she mentioned that they were listing. Sam and I toured the house and talked if over. We made them an offer before the sign even went in the yard," Amelia explained further. "I hope you don't mind us being so close. I promise that we won't let Caelan bug you every day."

"I think," Marshall said, slowly, catching Mary's eye in a silent conversation, "that it's an excellent idea. It'll make you watching Emma on our schedules so much easier."

Sam smiled. "That's what we were thinking, too. We have an offer on the old house, too, but we're still hammering out the details. If everything works out, we'll be moved here within a month."

Marshall shook his brother's hand. "Congratulations, man."

"Now, spill your news," Amelia demanded.

"We're engaged!" Marshall proclaimed.

Mary held up her hand to correct him. "Well, we're pre-engaged. He still needs to get a ring and get down on one knee. Then, we'll be engaged."

Amelia threw her arms around Mary while Sam hugged Marshall. "Congratulations!"

They switched partners so that Sam hugged Mary and Amelia squeezed Marshall. Marshall shifted Emma to one arm so that he could put the other around Amelia. He walked them slightly away from Mary, Sam, and Caelan, who had joined them.

"I feel like I owe you a huge amount of gratitude. I'm not sure any of this would be happening right now if you hadn't agreed to come watch Mary," he told her.

"Maybe not right now, but I'm pretty sure it would still have happened at some point," Amelia assured him, unwilling to take credit. "I just pushed and prodded to make it go faster. Besides, after everything that you've done for Sam and me, I'm just glad I could do anything for you."

Marshall kissed her forehead. "We're family. It's what you do."

Mary wandered over to the two of them, a huge grin plastered on her face. "And what are you two talking about?"

"Family," Marshall replied. He watched as Amelia helped Caelan with a tickle assault on Sam. "We have a pretty good one."

Mary looked from Sam, Amme, and Caelan to Marshall and Emma. "We certainly do."


	21. Epilogue

Three years later…

"Mary, are you sure that's the dress you want to wear?" Jinx asked, eying up the simple green dress hanging off the bathroom stall door. They were in the bathroom at the courthouse waiting for their appointment to get married.

"Yes, Mom," Mary sighed. She fussed with her hair in the mirror.

Jinx walked up behind her, hugging her from behind. "I'm so sorry that your sister couldn't make it."

Mary shrugged. It bothered her a lot that Brandi hadn't made the effort to come, but after spending the last three and a half years away with little contact, Mary wasn't exactly surprised. "She said she couldn't get out of work."

"Still…" Jinx smiled brightly. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. I'm here and Marshall's family and Em-"

"Hi, Mama!" Emma exclaimed, rushing into the bathroom, her dirty blond curls bouncing up and down. Five-year-old Caelan came rushing in behind her, trying to grab her hand to drag her back out.

Jinx squealed as she picked Emma up. "Oh, Princess! You look so adorable. Aren't you glad that Mommy let me pick out your beautiful dress?"

Emma glanced down at the green poofy dress that Jinx picked out to match her eyes. "Uh-huh."

"What were you eating, Munchkin?" Mary asked. She wet a paper towel and cleaned off Emma's face.

"Dad and Uncle John were letting the twins eat lollipops," Caelan explained. The family had dubbed Emma and Caelan's younger sister, Teagan, "the twinse" when they were young. Being only five months apart, they were extremely close, despite looking nothing alike. Teagan's dark hair and deep blue eyes made quite a contrast to Emma's hair and eyes.

"Thanks, tattletale," Amelia commented, walking into the bathroom with the other half of the twins. Like Mary, she cleaned Teagan's face with a paper towel. Caelan rolled his eyes at his mother, but grinned at his aunt when she gave him a thumbs up. "I saw that."

Teagan and Emma stuck their tongues out, repeating in unison, "Saw that."

Mary eyed Amme, carefully. "Are you sure you're not going to pop at this thing?"

Amelia ran her hands over her swollen stomach. "Pretty sure, yeah."

"I can't believe your having another one. Don't we have enough of these rugrats running around?" Despite her sarcasm, Mary had come to be a fantastic mom and aunt, never hesitating to jump in and play with the kids, though she drew the line at baby talk. Emma absolutely adored her and could often be seen trying to imitate her mother.

"Keep that up and I'll pop out a few more just to spite you," Amelia told her, her eyes lit up mischievously.

"Oh, you girls. Babies are a blessing." Jinx touched Amme's stomach. "Mary, are you sure you don't want another one of these?"

Mary's eyes rolled so far in the back of her head that Amelia was worried they wouldn't come back down. Her mother had started bugging her and Marshall when Emma was just six months old to have another. They had decided to take the "if it happens, it happens" approach. It hadn't happen yet, but Mary had been feeling off the last few days;the smell of coffee completely putting her off. Until she had proof, however, she was chalking it up to stress over the wedding. "Mom-"

Amelia stepped in between them. "Jinx, could you do me a favor and take the kids to the rest of the family? The twins won't listen to anyone like they listen to you. Just don't Louise that I told you that."

The twins ran circles around Jinx, but she puffed up with pride, especially being favorably compared to Louise. "Of course!" She grabbed Emma and Teagan's hands. "Come along, ladies. You, too, Caelan."

"Can you-" Amelia started.

"-help watch the twins?" Caelan finished with a wisdom beyond his years. Amelia tried to keep his responsibility of the younger kids to a minimum, but he had taken to being a big brother like a duck to water. "Sure, Mom."

Mary watched him leave the bathroom after Amelia gave him a big hug and kiss. She and Caelan had only deepened the bond that they had formed while she was on bed rest all those years ago. They spent nearly every Sunday morning picking up doughnuts for the rest of the family, just the two of them. "He's a good kid."

Amelia laughed. "Sometimes." She turned the dress. "Are you ready to get your dress on?"

"I don't know," Mary admitted, growing pale. "Why am I doing this?"

"Because Emma's going to preschool next year and you don't want to have to explain why you have different last names?" Amelia parroted back the answer that she had been given by Mary a few weeks ago. She was trying to keep the mood light.

Mary began to pace. "That is an insane reason to get married. How many kids have different last names than their mothers? We're happy. Why am I changing this?"

Amelia's eyes grew wide. "Mary-"

"It's okay," Marshall said, stepping into the bathroom. "I've got this."

Amelia nodded and waddled out the door. Mary turned to Marshall with fear, sorrow, and guilt all over her face. He grabbed her shoulders to stop her movement.

"Mary, if you don't want to do this, we can walk out that door right now. Nothing will change," he promised.

"All of your family is here," Mary cried.

Marshall shrugged. "So, we'll have a big family party instead. They won't care. They'll love you anyway."

Mary wiped away a tear that was threatening to fall. She squared her shoulders and raised her chin. "No, I want to do this."

"You're sure?"

"Yes," she replied, emphatically. After a beat, she looked away from him. "We should have had a big wedding."

Marshall's face scrunched up in confusion. "Why?"

She bit her lip. "Because you've always wanted a big wedding. You deserve a big wedding. You have always wanted to stand up and pronounce to the world that this is your wife. I know it's what you wanted."

"Mary," Marshall cupped her face, "the only thing that I want in this world is you."

"You're insane, you know."

Marshall smiled, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief. "There is definitely evidence to that fact. I am marrying you, after all."

Mary slapped his shoulder. "That's right. Now, get out of here so I can get dressed."

"Yes, ma'am!" He gave her a mock salute.

"How did you know that I would need to talk to you now?" Mary asked, suddenly realizing that he had shown up at the exact moment she needed him.

Marshall grinned. "Because, Sunshine, I know you."

Mary sighed. "Whatever you say, doofus."

THE END


End file.
